Chasing Tides
by rawrakwarisa
Summary: 'I'd like to think we were like them, the moon and the sea. There is a natural connection between us, we push and pull one another like the rising and falling of the tides. You drift in shadows, solitary, living off the light of the sun. I am pulled by currents, dependent on rivers and the ocean.' A quest to reunite two swords and two hearts. A Killua x OC pairing (Reedited!)
1. Chapter 1

**Author's notes:**Hi guys! This is my first ever fan fic so I'm not really sure how to go about writing the author's notes so please bear with me. I've been inspired by so many of the wonderful fanfictions here, mostly from Harvest Moon and Hunter x Hunter. I hope my fanfiction also brings happiness to other people. Oh this is a Killua x OC fic.

New note:

I have been reediting the chapters, and I have added quite a lot to chapter one. I really hope that the chapters are better written this time, with a lot more character in them. :)

**Disclaimer:**I don't own Hunter x hunter. I do own Raiha though.

It was one of those nights in York Shin city. One of those nights were there was a rumble in the air, like an electric current. The lights blared, footsteps shuffled, voices laughed, shouted, jeered, and whispered. It was one of those nights when something out of the ordinary would happen. Something serendipitous. An event almost like the tipping of a domino: small, quiet, but the catalyst of a momentous series of occurrences.

A young man with black, rather pointy looking hair was walking along the streets. He was of fair height with tan skin and dark brown eyes, and wore dark cargo pants and a green hoodie. He hummed to himself while his eyes wandered from one shop to another, lingering for a few seconds when he would come across a restaurant. He would have seemed ordinary if not for the energy that seemed to radiate from him. He seemed like a spring that had been pushed down by someone's palm, ready to jump and recoil at the first chance. He walked at a slow leisurely pace but it felt like he could burst out running at a moment's notice. His eyebrows furrowed a bit and he slowed his pace.

"Aah, why are there so many good looking restaurants in York Shin? It feels like no matter how long I stay here I'll never be able to eat at all the restaurants. Deciding where to eat for dinner would be so much easier if…"

He stopped for a second as his eyes finally registered the presence of something that was in front of him. Or rather, someone.

There was a young girl standing in front of him. It was difficult not to stop at the sight of her because she contrasted so much to the backdrop that was the city. The lights seemed garish and the people merely dark shadows. Her hair fell past her shoulders and almost reached her chest, soft layers framing her pale face. Her hair was a strange shade of silvery blue, the color of Winter, something that fell in between the sky and the snow. Her skin was also pale, but there was still some blush in her cheeks. She had very dark eyes, nearly black. Her mouth was slightly open, her pink lips parted, revealing her two front teeth. She was not a very petite girl, she was long and slender, and the young man thought she must have been around his height. In York Shin it was common to see people wearing all sorts of clothing, but hers was still a bit strange. Hanzo, one of the people he met from the hunter exam 5 years ago, had shown him a photo of the people from his hometown. The women were wearing some sort of robe with long sleeves and a sash tied in the middle. Hanzo had told him it was called a kimono. The girl was wearing something similar to that except that hers was rather short, going past her mid thigh. The kimono was also looser, much more open in the neckline. It had a pattern of small triangular shaped flowers on a black background. In one of the girl's hands was a very long, very slim sword in a case with crisscrossed linear patterns; the other held a sheet of some sort.

The girl stared at him then looked at the sheet in her hand. It wasn't a sheet, but a photo it seemed. A photo of him standing next to another man of around the same age, but with hair of white, sharply contrasting to his own. She stared at him again and a tentative smile formed on her lips. She walked up to him and smiled again, this time more deliberately, pink lips curling up, just the slightest hint of a dimple of her cheek. She was rather pretty thought the young man.

"Err, excuse me, but is your name Gon? Gon Freecs? " He was surprised upon hearing his name fall from her lips. Strange, he had no idea at all who this girl was. He had met a lot of people in his life, and he wanted to think his memory was reliable enough.

"Uh, yes that is me. " He smiled back at the girl. Her dark eyes flickered with something akin to relief.

"Finally! " The girl stuffed the photo somewhere inside her sleeve and held out her hand.

"I know it might seem strange to have a random person come up to you like this, but I've been looking for you since a few days ago. Oh, I'm Raiha by the way. " She stretched her hand a bit closer to him.

"Ah well you already know me so I guess I don't have to introduce myself. " He shook her hand and was surprised at how rough it was, callouses here and there. He expected her hands to be soft. His eyes did a quick one-over the girl's figure. At first glance it was easy to think she was delicate, fragile, the soft froth at the end of a wave. But on closer inspection Gon could tell she was more than a pretty face in foreign clothing. The way she held herself, slightly guarded, the way she gripped his hand, and something he didn't have a name for in those eyes. Something he had seen a few times already, in the eyes of his friends, and the Hunters he's met. "But, again, I'm Gon. "

"It's nice to finally meet you Gon." The girl stood at his side and seemed to be waiting for something. 'Err, were you heading somewhere?'

"I was looking for a place to eat."

"Oh...Umm. Before this gets any awkward I'll just get right into it. I'm looking for a friend of yours. Killua Zaoldeyk. White hair, blue eyes. Errrrr... " Raiha paused for a while and put one hand in the air. She was moving it up and down uncertainly and finally let it hover a few inches above Gon's head. "Probably this tall? I think. "

Gon cocked his head to the side. Killua had never mentioned this girl before. And to be honest she didn't seem to sure about what she was saying. He smiled at her and said "Yeah, Killua. He's probably just walking around looking for -"

Ring! Ring! Ring!

Speak of the devil.

"Hello. Killua? Yeah, I'm just...Oh there? I guess that's fine. Oh I have something to tell -!"

Gon blinked, moved the phone from his ear and stared at it. He shrugged at the girl next to him. "He hung up. "

"But...he's near right? You'll be meeting him later, right? "

"Yes."

The girl sighed. "So this is it huh."

"Sorry did you say something? "

"Uh nothing. So uh, will you be going to the meeting place now? "

"Yes, we were just about to eat dinner. Why don't you-"

"I'll join you! " the girl interrupted eagerly. "Why don't you give me directions? There's some things I have to pick up first. "

Gon, an amused expression on his face gave the girl, Raiha, the directions to the restaurant Killua was waiting in. He was dying to ask her who she was exactly, how did she know Killua, why was she looking for him but she looked like she was in a hurry and he figured it would all be clear enough later. The girl waved goodbye and promised to meet him and Killua there as soon as she was done with whatever it was she had to do.

Gon looked at the girl who was now slightly running and skillfully avoiding the crowds of people on the street. Strange night it would be it seemed. He started walking towards the direction of the restaurant, not knowing that he was walking awfully slowly, his mind preoccupied by the girl. He had no idea just what he had started.

* * *

Raiha ran across the streets of York Shin looking for the hotel she was staying in. She was almost starting to feel hopeless but finally. Finally she found him. Not him exactly, but his friend, which was nearly as good. She knew there must have been something about the sparks she felt in the air this morning. This city was too large. There were too many people. Something must have led her to that exact spot tonight, something she couldn't name. She wasn't such a big fan of destiny. Maybe it was just that her odds were good tonight.

She took a deep breath and stared at her hotel room. There wasn't a lot she had to pack up. She grabbed her things and stuffed them in a large backpack. Then she started to move out the door but she stopped herself in time. She didn't feel right. She paused, patted the sides of her hips, checked her bag, and finally realized that she was missing the thing she had been grasping in her hand for almost the entire day. "Oops, almost forgot you. " She grabbed the long slim sword from that was on top of the bed.

"Okay, I think I'm going to freak out a bit now. "

She started jumping around the room and finally jumped on the bed. If anyone had suddenly opened the door and seen her mid-freak out, they would have probably tried to get her to seek some sort of professional help. She was surprised at herself. Her heartbeat was fast and loud. She could feel it in her head almost. She breathed deeply to calm herself down and slowly her heart returned to its usual steady rhythm.

"What am I doing... I've rehearsed this a million times. Just play it cool. This isn't a big deal. Repeat. This isn't a big deal. I've handled worse things. " She set her shoulders squarely.

It had been too long. Far too long that she had had too much time to prepare for it, in retrospect. But she had too little to go on, her memories too brief, she didn't know what she would be dealing with. She relied too much on things being the same, but she wasn't the same. Would he be?

"There's nothing else to do but just go for it. "


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's note:** Here's the 2nd chapter! I'm updating pretty fast since I've written up to chapter 3 already. I was wondering, what did you think of the first chapter? Not a lot to go on yet, but please review! I'd love to hear from you.

** I've reedited this chapter!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Hunter x Hunter.

Gon looked around the well-lit restaurant looking for a familiar face. Finally he saw a head of white hair sticking out from the vibrantly yellow leather couches of one of the booth tables.

"Ya, Killua."

"Oy Gon."

The head of white hair belonged to Gon's friend Killua. They had met 5 years ago when they were just 12, as participants of the Hunter exam. They had become inseparable friends soon after.

Killua contrasted greatly to Gon, not only in physical appearance but in his aura as well. Killua was taller than Gon, leaner too. His hair was made up of messy tufts of white. Where Gon looked as if the Sun favored him too much with her graces, Killua looked as though the sun had forgotten to shine down on him at all. He had sharp blue eyes that were even sharper against his pale coloring. He wore a gray shirt over black long sleeves and jeans. He exuded control and power, but also a certain kind of laziness, as if he couldn't be bothered to do something unless he himself wanted to do it. There was merriment in his eyes; his posture was languid, easy, confident.

"Where have you been? I was so bored I could have eaten the entire dessert menu. But since I am such a great friend, I waited for you patiently even though their cream puffs have been seducing me for half an hour now. "

"I got caught up. See, I ran into this girl -"

"Ditching you friend for a girl eh, I'm hurt." Killua said with crossed arms and furrowed brow.

"No no, that's not…' Sigh. "This girl, she was looking for you."

Killua raised one of his eyebrows as he looked at Gon. He didn't really interact with girls much, not that he wasn't attracted to them. He simply couldn't be bothered to go up to one of them to strike up a conversation. There was maybe one or two girls in York Shin his eyes had lingered on for a bit too long, but that wasn't enough of a connection for someone to look for him. Besides how would the girl even know Gon?

"Oh really now. Well what does this girl look like? "

"Hmm, pretty, light blue hair, dark eyes, skinny…"

The words seemed to ring a bell, but Killua shook his head. It couldn't be her. There were probably lots of light blue-haired, dark-eyed skinny girls who would look for him.

"I think it's better if you see for yourself. She said she would come here after getting some stuff. "

"What? "

At that moment, wind chimes signaled a new customer. Gon looked up at the girl who had just come in and gave a small wave. Killua tensed. There was something strange going on here. Electricity seemed to course in his body and he felt stiff and unable to turn his head. So he just kept staring at Gon.

Raiha slowly approached the two, backpack on her back and the slim sword Gon had seen earlier. She was walking with quiet, tentative steps and finally she stopped when she was at Killua's spot.

"Hi Killua." she said with awkward smile. Inwardly she was repeating a mantra to herself. First you greet him.

Killua finally turned his head and took in the image of the girl before him. His mouth opened slightly, and a hoarse whisper came out. "You."

Raiha sat down next to Killua and looked at him. He turned away and frowned, keeping his attention to the window which now had some small raindrops slowly trickling down on it. He couldn't bring himself to look at the girl next to him. Was this a joke? Maybe he was so hungry he was delirious. Maybe it was the wafts of freshly baked cream puffs that was making him hallucinate. Maybe he was dreaming right now.

Gon was in the front row to an extremely awkward show. His best friend stared at the raindrops so hard he thought they would freeze. Raiha was turned to Killua, with a look that would have borne holes into his head. He looked from one to the other and wondered how they knew each other. He wasn't one to keep his thoughts to himself, and so he voiced them out loud.

"How do you two know each other? "

The girl turned to him. "Well, I'm Killua's -"

Raiha stopped midsentence and looked at Killua again, who seemed to be counting the raindrops with noteworthy concentration. She sighed, and racked her brain for what she had planned to do if he had pretended to not see her. She decided it would be best to try the bold approach, although at this point she couldn't really analyze the situation. Her instincts were usually good and they were telling her it wouldn't hurt to be all friendly and frank, since that was what she did back then. She thinks. She grabbed Killua's arm, linking it with hers.

"I'm his fiancée. "

Killua's shoulders hiked up and then slowly fell down. But he remained silent. Raindrops now at 178.

"Wow, well ummm. I've been with Killua for five years now but I've never seen him make a move on a girl, let alone get engaged to one." Gon smiled at them mischievously earning him a look from Killua. Fiancee. Now that was a new one. He thought she might have been someone seeking revenge or a debt to be repaid but he didn't expect fiancee.

"Well, we've been engaged since before you two met. Since we were nine actually. So we've been in a long distance relationship for more than eight years now. " Raiha answered back, with an even more mischievious look. What was she doing?, inside she was jumping up and down again. This wasn't how she had seen their conversation. But her reply seemed calm, witty even. Yes, this was going well.

"I'm getting really confused here."

"Oy, Killua. Say something. So you haven't been telling your friend about me at all? " Interact with him calmly. Engage him in conversation.

"What's there to tell? You've been a stranger for nearly a decade now."

Raiha bit her lip and sighed. Maybe that wasn't the right way to engage him in conversation. "There's a lot I need to explain to you and some things I should apologize for. But I think we owe your friend an explanation first. "

"Fine, fine. "

"Well you do it then. "

"Why the hell should I do it? "

"He's your friend, I don't know what he knows already. "

Gon placed a hand lightly on his stomach. It seemed like it would be a good long while before he could get anything to eat. But, his curiousity needed to be satisfied. It wasn't every night when a pretty girl came bringing along drama let alone to his best friend.

At raindrop 350, Killua had to tell himself that this was no dream. That the girl beside him, really was beside him, her arm chained with his, and now she was forcing him to recall the memories of so many years ago. Not that it was that hard. They always seemed to be placed somewhere in his brain that was so easy to access.

"Look Gon. You know my family already right. You know I was supposed to be the heir and all that crap. Well, with me being the chosen successor to the family business, my parents felt the need to make sure I would bring forth a new heir or simply, that I would have a kid and turn him into an assassin too.

We Zaoldeyks aren't necessarily the most…approachable of people. Hell, even if people wanted to marry into the family for money they would be quaking in their shoes just at the sight of the front door. My father didn't have friends; it wasn't a Zaoldeyk thing. He did however, have a network of people whom he, well I guess thought able enough to interact with the family. People who were strong enough I guess. If I had someone to' he cringed 'marry and have tons of babies with, it needed to be with a family who could probably last a whole day with us and not get themselves killed.

Oy, you continue. "

Killua closed his eyes and sunk into a bored pose, his chin resting on his hand. Gon noticed that he hadn't bothered to unlink his arm from Raiha's.

"My family isn't nearly as famous as Killua's. I think my father must have hired them once and that's how they met. When we were nine, we got introduced and I stayed at their mansion for a bit. " It wasn't in her plan to have to explain the relationship she and Killua had, but it wouldn't hurt. Maybe telling the story would make things easier somehow. She couldn't leave Gon clueless either. If she did it would be like she was making him read a book, starting from the middle and skipping the beginning.

* * *

"_He's back here._ "

_A tall young man with black hair led a little girl through a dark tunnel. The girl looked at the medieval looking décor with curious eyes, but her gaze lingered the longest on her guide. He was tall and thin, and he seemed to blend in with the shadows of the hall. Like he could melt into them and disappear as he pleased._

"_Hey, I'm Raiha. What's your name?_ "

"_Illumi._ " _The voice was bored._

_The distance between them had increased and the girl was finding it a bit difficult to keep up so she ran forward, reached out her hand and grabbed the young man's._

"_I might get lost you know. If I do, it'll be your fault_"

_Illumi was amused. Children were so innocent. If she knew how many people had died with those hands, would she have taken it in her own so easily?_

"_Your hand is strange._ "

_He blinked and looked at the girl who now had a frown on her face. She seemed to be trying to figure out just what was it that was strange about his hand. She must have given up or probably, something else caught her attention because her grip had loosened and her eyes were fixed in front of her._

"_Who's that?_ "_ She pointed to a little figure huddled in a corner._

"_That's Killua. Well, you two have fun now._ "

_And he was gone._

_Raiha went up to Killua who was just sitting there with his back against the wall, a blank look in his eyes. She poked him with her finger. 'Killua?' Poke. _"_Hey?'_"_Poke. _"_What the.._ "_ Poke, poke poke._

_She sat down next to him and went up to his ear. _"_Killua. Killua. Killua. KILLUA!_ "_ The boy did not move. He remained looking at some point fixed above his head. He was in his own world. A world of recluse he hid himself in after a particularly violent killing. He was getting them less and less now, but he always seemed to retreat in this place periodically, after he had finished a certain quota._

"_Well aren't you boring._ "

_The girl waved her hand in front of his eyes. She stood up and waved her arms. Danced. Jumped. Clapped. Nothing. Finally she sat down and leaned her head against the wall, exhausted. She fell asleep and after about five minutes her head had fallen to rest on his shoulder. Killua's eyes started to change from black to blue, he blinked and wondered what the warmth he felt on his shoulder was. And then he saw her. He shook her. And she woke up. Not at all pleased._

"_Why did you wake me up? You got me all tired trying to get you to pay attention to me and now you can't even let me sleep?_ "

_Killua blinked. Who was this girl?_

"_Who are you?_ "

"_Raiha, your bride to be._ "_ She smiled, and all of a sudden the warmth wasn't on his shoulder but somewhere in his chest, or his face, or maybe even just all over his body._

* * *

"We were basically betrothed to one another. " She hoped that the explanation was enough.

"Okay, well thanks for clearing that up. " Gon was surprised that something like that had happened to Killua. He thought he knew most there is to know about his best friend. But he knew that when it came to his past there were some things Killua didn't like to revisit. Was this girl a bad memory though? "But if you two have been engaged for so long, how come I only met you now? "

"Because she disappeared that's why. "

Killua had a dark look in his eyes and it was the first time that Gon had ever seen him look hurt. He had looked angry, sad, maybe even afraid a few times but never hurt. Maybe this girl was a bad memory.

Raiha could feel just how uncomfortable the aura in the room was getting. She needed to take charge of the situation. All this time she had been rehearsing things in her mind, she wasn't able to plan out what Killua's feelings would be, or rather she didn't really give enough consideration to how he would be feeling. Suddenly she felt horrible, like she had oversimplified things and only thought of herself in the matter. She couldn't act all casual and expect Killua to just welcome her with open arms. She owed him an explanation.

"Gon, if you don't mind, I think I need to talk to your friend alone for a little while. "

Killua looked at Gon with one of his don't you dare do that I will kill you glares but the girl beside him had a don't worry it'll be fine I'll deal with it look. So he chose to get up, give a small wave and leave. Outside the restaurant his stomach grumbled. Should he still wait for the two? His stomach was killing him. He decided to just walk around the city for a bit and if his hunger triumphs, well let it.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's notes:** Hello chapter 3 here! How was chapter 2? Did you guys get a good feel of Raiha's character? Was Gon and Killua OOC? Dying to know. Hope to hear from you guys!

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Hunter x Hunter.

"Killua. " She felt disoriented. How would she begin to explain exactly?

Killua's head was a jumble of unanswered questions, but the biggest one so far was, "Why did you leave? "

_After their first meeting, Raiha stuck to Killua like glue. Killua had been taken aback with her saying she was his bride to be since he really didn't understand what a bride exactly was. His father had taken the two and explained to them briefly that Raiha was what Kikyo, his mother, was to his father, and Killua was what Raiha's father was to her mother. That they were two people who were married and would raise children together. Clearly, the two had no concept of playing house and had never really known what a mother figure or a father figure was, well the stereotypical kind at least. Killua had made a horrible face when he heard that Raiha would be like his mother. He didn't like his mother much, but Raiha didn't seem like her anyway. They didn't really understand what was explained to them. His father had said that Raiha would be staying there for a while, so they could get to know each other and 'play.'_

_They didn't really know what 'play' meant though. They mostly ran through the obstacle courses Killua's father and brother had trained him with when he was five. Played with the various weapons in their vault. Mixed poisonous substances so they would change color. He would throw daggers at Raiha sometimes and she would avoid them and then take her turn. Killua had never been with other children his age. His brothers didn't play with him. What they did, it all seemed normal enough to him. And Raiha didn't complain so he thought it must have been normal for her too._

_For a good two months or so, Killua was a kid. Or as much a kid as he ever could be, being born into the life he had. But it all ended the day she left._

Raiha contemplated on what she could tell him. Was it better to be short and sweet? Did she have to explain to the last detail? She didn't feel like unearthing all her personal issues right now, let alone here. It felt awkward to suddenly spew out her innermost insecurities in a place that was all pastel colors and sugary smells. She decided to keep it short and sweet.

"I went away to train. I'm sorry I never told you, or said goodbye at least. "

"Train? What the hell do you mean train? What did you need to train for? " Killua was surprised at the...anger he heard in his voice. After all these years, he thought those two months they spent together when they were nine didn't matter. Why should they matter anyway? It barely made a dent in his life. Was there something he didn't remember? All he could think of was constant running around they did, the games, how he felt...he'd like to think, like a normal kid. But maybe he was putting too much thought into it. For now he would get answers.

The anger in his voice made Raiha uncomfortable. She wondered how much he remembered. Although the time she spent at his house had changed her, much more than he knew, she had to admit that she didn't remember _everything _that happened back then. It was such a long time ago. "I told you didn't I? "

_He had asked her if she was an assassin like him. She shook her and said she was a body guard, or she was going to be one. Whose he had asked, and she answered, 'My brothers.'_

* * *

"_Silva, are you sure about that girl? Is she even good enough for Killua?_ "_ asked Zeno, Killua's grandfather and the other Zaoldeyk family member aside from his father that shared his white hair._

"_She's a child prodigy just like him, from the Kanakiri._ "

_The Kanakiri family. One of the most, if not the most, influential Yakuza families. Yakuza, a mafia, a syndicate. But theirs was no ordinary mafia. It was a corporation. Elite. It was no exaggeration to say that it controlled most of the weapon trade both underground and mainstream._

"_You know that women are treated as basically next to nothing in that family. But that girl is different. Even at her age her father saw her value. She's a natural. Not a natural killer maybe, but her instincts in combat are exceptional. Not as good as Killua, not nearly, but she has never been trained. I saw her when I talked to her father. She caught an arrow aimed at one of her brothers. A lot of potential_"

"_That's just reflexes._ "

"_But she has not been trained like Killua. She doesn't know what she can be capable of. But she will. Her father will not let that talent go to waste. Especially as it can protect his precious heirs. I told him that they, to make something of the girl._ "

* * *

"_My brothers are heirs to the family business. I can't inherit it because I'm a girl. Doesn't matter. I'd rather just protect my brothers till they get strong enough anyway. My father told me it would be a job just for me. And who'd want to deal with ugly old men?_ "

She sounded so sure of herself then, and the words had rolled off of her tongue like they were easy for her to say. That it truly didn't matter and that she truly just wanted to be a bodyguard. That it was a job just for her, tailor made. Well the part about not wanting to deal with ugly old men was true.

"I was never strong like you Killua. I might have had potential, but I needed to cultivate it. I needed to be stronger. I had people to protect, and I couldn't just let myself stay the way I was. The time I spent at your house, you remember how much you taught me? Stealth, weaponry. I never knew any of those. And I needed to start as early as I could. One day, my father had contacted me and asked me if I had wanted to start training formally. And I did. Being around your family made me realize how weak I was. And Illumi -."

She stopped. She didn't need to explain that part. It wouldn't have done any good anyway. Killua looked at her expectantly but when she didn't say anything more, he simply said,

"Well, did you bring a souvenir at least? " He still wasn't looking at her, but the hurt had lifted and his tone was different. And his aura, lighter. To be honest, he still wasn't satisfied with her explanation. He felt like there was something she wasn't telling him. And did she just mention Illumi? But, he couldn't stay angry at her. At least not right now. Now when he was hungry, and he could feel her arm warm around his. He was in a weakened state. Why was he so disoriented with this girl?

She smiled and nodded. She was relieved that he had changed the topic into something lighter. Luckily, she did bring something for him. She had been carrying it around for quite a long time now. She put her hand in her bag and took out an electric blue yoyo. 'I don't know if you still play with this.'

"I haven't in a while but it's cool. " He took it in his hand. "It's heavy. "

"Had it customed made. Figured I'd make it nice and heavy so if it ever fell on your head during one of your tricks, it would have made a mark. " she teased.

"Or maybe it still wouldn't have, knowing how hard headed you are. " She couldn't help adding the last part. The atmosphere in the room, the atmosphere between the two of them was so much better. She wanted to make the most of it.

"Remind me again why I just let you slide by without talking to me for eight years? "

"Oh, um hey I have some exotic sweets too! " Perfect for damage control.

"You should have just started the conversation with THAT. "

He greedily took the candy in his hand. From a rather aloof looking seventeen year old, he looked like he was five.

"Still the same as ever. Hey, can I ask you something? "

"Mmmhmhmmhmh. Yeah shoot. " Candy candy candy. He had to hand it to this girl. They hadn't seen each other for eight years but she knew what his weak spot was.

"Did you ever get a girlfriend while I was a way? " As soon as the words left her mouth she wanted to kick herself. Why did she say that? She didn't know she was even thinking about something like that til now.

"No. " That was awfully blunt of her Killua mused.

"Why? " Raiha's eyes widened. "Don't tell me - you've discovered you swing for the other team and, " gasp "You and Gon? "

Almost choking on his candy, Killua glared at her. "Yes. I've been in love with Gon since we were twelve. "

"You don't seriously mean that? " Fear was in her eyes.

"Of course not. Hell, why would you even doubt me? I'm not gay. Jeez woman. "

"Oh okay. I mean, it' just, why didn't you? Get a girlfriend. " How far was she going to push this topic exactly? She wanted to avoid any awkwardness but she seemed to be bringing it unto herself.

"You're already bothersome enough as it is, why would I make life harder for myself? " And he moved his attention from her back to the candy, his cheeks ever so slightly pinker than before.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author"s notes:**

Nispedana: Hi! Thanks so much for taking the time to read and review. Had to google Mary Sue, hehe. Thanks for that input, I don"t think Raiha"s a Mary Sue but I can"t be too sure, I"m really knew to this might have been doing it unconsciously. We"ll in the next chapters. Sometimes she just sort of does her own thing. I mean, like she writes herself haha, if that makes any sense. I"ll try to be aware if she does start turning mary sue and if it"s not good for the story.

Oh and yeah! I should put the pairings in the summary thanks for the reminder. I"m glad you thought it was well written and you liked the interactions. I hope I continue to improve and your review has certainly helped. Thanks again! :))

**Disclaimer**: I don"t own hunter x hunter

Wind chimes signaled the coming of a new customer. Well in this case, an old one. Gon entered the door and eyed the two carefully. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. No dark aura, Killua"s head still seemed to be attached which was a good sign. He approached them carefully.

"So how are you two? Better I take it." The two did look better. Killua was slightly flushed which was mysterious. Now that he looked carefully, Raiha was also slightly flushed. It seemed like they shared a moment.

"Wish we could say the same for you." Retorted his white haired friend.

Gon had a slightly pained expression in his face and his shoulders were hunched in.

"Nothing some steak, rice, potatoes and apple pie wont fix"

He sat down and called a waiter over giving him the exact same words he had just uttered. Killua then ordered the pancake set, and two slices of chocolate cake. Raiha cocked an eyebrow at him before ordering a salad and spaghetti puttanesca. Didn"t he just eat a whole bunch of candy? She knew he had a sweet tooth but..

"So care to fill me in with happened?"

"Raiha here was just about to tell us why she"s spent the last 3 days trying to find us in York Shin."

Raiha put her hand on the sword leaning next to her and laid it across the table. The sword was so long that it nearly spanned the length of the table.

She could finally begin explaining the important things. "This is the reason I came to look for you."

"Wow, you disappear on a random day after telling me you were going to be my bride and the reason you reappear after eight years is to show me a sword?"

"Look will you let me finish first. And I thought we had gotten over that already." She did think they had gotten over it already. Why was Killua so temperamental? Oh wait, he was always like that. But she didn"t like the uncomfortable pang she felt every time he brought the issue up.

"We did til I found out you didn"t even just come back for me, you came back for a sword!"

Gon was, to his dismay caught again between the two"s gunfire. He couldn"t wait for his food to come quickly enough, but til then he had to play peacemaker.

"Killua I think you should listen to her first."

"Why are you choosing her side?"

Killua slumped into a sulking position while Raiha flashed Gon a grateful smile.

"As I was saying, this sword is ONE of the reasons I came to look for you.

This sword is part of a pair, and our family"s most important heirloom. "

She paused. Gon and Killua noticed that she had stiffened a bit like she was recalling a bad memory.

"Unfortunately, the other one was stolen. And well, I wanted to ask for your help..."

"Wait a sec. So you want us to be your lackeys and look for a sword we know nothing about? You want to drag us out of our extremely busy lives to -"

"Uh, I hate to break it to you Killua but we"re not exactly busy-"

Killua shot him a look. "We"re very busy people. Look just the other day-"

Raiha elbowed him.

"Oh geez Killua. What do you want me to say? Do you want me to beg or something? I haven"t even explained half the story, and you"re already declining." Did he always get on her nerves this way? No, he was much more pleasant when he was nine. Or maybe she was much more tolerant at that age.

"Well explain then."

"I get it. I disappear, come back and the first thing I do is order you around. Maybe that"s not fair, especially to Gon whom I"ve just met. But you"re the person who can help me the most, I know you can. This is very important to me, and to my family."

She paused then and inhaled deeply. She looked at Gon then at Killua, and they knew they couldn"t not help her even if they didn"t want to. They were still relatively normal seventeen year old boys who could be charmed or conned in doing a girl"s request.

"Why is it so important? The sword I mean." Gon asked.

"It"s something that has been passed down in my family for generations. I"m not sure who had it first, but there"s a legend that goes with it.

This sword, is called Tsuki, the moon. The other one, a shorter, curved blade, is called Umi, the sea.

The swords came into existence during a time when people did not yet exist, however the earth was not uninhabited. There were enigmas that looked like humans, but these creatures did not need human needs such as eating or sleeping. They existed as the world existed because they were the world. They made up the world. The trees were men, the wind women, the rain danced as children dance, mountains were warriors, the seas were royalty. The sun, moon and stars had souls.

It was in such a world that the two lived. One was called Sea, one of the many princesses made up of blue, green and froth. The other Moon, prince of the night, shifter of shadows.

In the world of ethereals, Sun, king of all, was relentless. All were subject to his heat, but while it was pleasant to some, it was irksome for others.

Sea had always felt worn down during the day, when Sun diligently shone over the world, feeding the ethereals with his rays. She knew it was necessary. The Trees always seemed to be more vibrant with it. The Winds didn"t feel as sharp as they usually did. But he felt overbearing. Too much. Too warm.

But night was different. Sea appreciated the soft glow she felt at night. The Stars were too small to count, but there was only one who mattered to her anyway. The one that replaced Sun. She had heard from Ocean about him, he was always fleeting, always far away, drifting in shadows. Sometimes he showed half his face, sometimes a bit more, other times only a sliver. Mysterious, aloof. Sea desperately wanted to know more. She wished so hard that she had begun to move upstream in slow movements, her waves wetting Sand and Stone.

Moon had always just stared ahead during night. He did not feel the need to get involved with the other ethereals. It all just felt temporary and forced. After all, without Sun he wouldn"t be seen at all. But tonight a noise distracted him from below. It was one of those, a Sea. She seemed restless, her waves were crashes and white noise in the dark.

He looked down below and she was looking up at him. The Winds danced and the Trees followed. Stars were prancing around. This was all the same as any night. But he felt different.

Sea stared up at the one who lived in the shadows, the one she wished so desperately to meet. She gleamed at up at him, small ripples running across her. He shone softly in response. It was a beginning.

They met each other when they could, Sea almost reaching for Moon, tides high. But the others did not approve for it was not right. The Trees played with Rain, and Sun lived with Sky, but a Sea and the Moon lived apart for a reason. There were times when Ocean pulled her back, her waves retreating, tides low. The Moon tried to help her, he pulled her to him, or maybe it was she who pulled him to her. They were not always resistant to the Others, but they never stopped trying.

But the time came they realized that even if they did not stop trying, they would never win against Fate. They could never be together infinitely, because Sun would always replace moon, Ocean would pull Sea, Cloud and shadows would cover moon, Storm would make Sea cower.

But they would still meet, because that was Fate - that had been born between them, that had become Nature. She pulled him to her, he was pulled by him. He pulled her, she was pulled by him.

And so it was in the world before people existed, the time of ethereals. And even now in the age of humans, the moon affects the sea, bringing about high or low tide. It was he and she meeting and separating, time and time again, for time immemorial.

I don"t know, where exactly the swords come into play in the story. There was no mention of them being created, of their creator, or even what they were for. But their fate is the same as Sea and Moon. They need to stay together. Or else... I don"t know. It just feels wrong. I feel wrong. My brothers feel wrong. I"m unbalanced. It"s been this way since Umi has been stolen."

Raiha looked beaten. She kept her back rigid, fingers interlaced stiffly. Her posture was defiant, but her eyes were clouded with swirls of doubt and fear. The swords were more than just symbolic. She felt an almost biological connection to them. They had all felt it. Unbalanced. There was some part of her that had gone along with that sword. She knew she felt it more than anyone else. Her brothers had felt dizzy for what, half a day? She was incapacitated for almost two.

_"Raiha, don"t run. You"re going to trip."_

_"Why do I have to wear this...thing?" The little girl stood in front of her mother, raised her arms and flailed her long sleeves around. She was wearing a yukata, a a robe for summer that resembled a kimono._

_"Because dear, this is the proper attire for little girls."_

_"Mom, why can"t I join them?"_

_"That meeting is only for men, you know we"re not allowed in there."_

_"But I"m smart, I could help!"_

_Her mother simply shook her head. It was pointless arguing. Her mother was dead set in her ways. She was dead set on making Raiha dead set on them as well. The little girl hated having to sit still and listen to her mother"s well repeated speech of proper behaviour for girls. She glared at her mother for one last time before breaking into a sprint into the long wooden hall._

_"Raiha!"_

_She ran and ran til she was panting. She wasn"t paying attention to where she had been going. A door was in front of her. It looked like all of the other wooden screen doors in their house. But she felt like she was being pulled towards it. Almost as if there were strings operating her limbs, she raised a small hand and pulled back the door._

_The room was large. It"s floor was covered in tatami mats. She put one foot inside. The tatami felt good under her feet. At the center of the room was what looked like a small shrine. A simple wooden structure with two swords. The swords were placed horizontally on the structure. On the topmost level was a long slim blade, and below it was a shorter, curved blade. Raiha stepped closer to the two swords, and with each step she felt overwhelmed by a force, that seemed to be pulling her urgently. There was a strange crashing in her ears and she felt the hairs on her arms stand. The middle of summer and she was cold. She was now face to face with the swords. Her tiny hand reaching, extending, a few inches away -_

"How was it stolen?"

Killua put his hand on her arm lightly. He pulled it back with a swift movement. He wasn't big on physical contact, but his hand had moved before he even had time to think about what he was doing. It was like he was just compelled to do it. Raiha was too far in her thoughts too notice his gesture.

Suddenly a sound from in front of them distracted the two. Gon had placed his knife on his plate and wiped his lips with a tissue.

"What the hell Gon! Why didn't you tell me the food was here!"

"Well you were so engrossed in the story."

Killua's eyes moved to the pancakes in front of him to the salad and pasta near Raiha. He took a fork and viciously speared a pancake and stuffed it in his mouth.

"Mhdjrhhhhhhhsgga!"

"What was that?"

"Ris pansjfaak ish kdappld!"

"Sorry I didn"t catch that."

"This pancake is freaking cold!"

"Well, food does that. Get cold. Especially if it"s been left standing in open air for..."

"You owe me a pancake set."

"At least you listened properly"

"Screw you Gon-!"

Laughter startled them into a stop.

Raiha was laughing. At them.

"Why don"t you let us in on the joke huh."

Killua had poked her on the side. Hard.

"Sorry. I just haven"t seen a love quarrel in a while." It was so... amusing, seeing Killua with this friend of his. They really were quite the adorable duo.

Before Killua could retaliate, Raiha had poked him back, in the ribs, equally as hard.

"Go, eat. I"ll tell you the rest in a little bit. I don"t want my pasta getting any colder." she said with a smile.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's notes:** First of I want to thank everybody who has been viewing the story. I would love to hear from all of you! Review pretty please~~ are you guys getting a good feel of Raiha's character? Somehow I feel like she hasn't been established enough. But! that is my goal in the next chapter. So I hope you keep reading!

Nispedana: Yeay my loyal reviewer. I always get so giddy when I see a review :))

Would you have any ideas on how to flesh my character out more? My friend suggested I do some drabbles

I'm excited on your review (wow demanding haha) for chapter 4 since it has the myth part in there (which was a dream of mine actually) Want to know what you think of it. I'm going to read one of your stories these days! wait for my review~~

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Hunter x Hunter

Eight plates were on the table. Eight freshly emptied plates.

Gon looked like his usual self, shoulders upright, leaning forward eagerly. Killua looked like a smug cat, the corners of his mouth slightly upturned, arching his back and spreading out his arms.

"I think all of us were quite happy with that meal. But don't you think you ate a little bit too much sugar?" Raiha had been surprised when Killua ordered two chocolate cakes, on top of pancakes. First off, who eats pancakes for dinner. But to each his own, she figured. However, eating that much sugar wasn't healthy, and it gave her a queasy feeling watching Killua devour all that sweetness. She herself didn't like sweets all that much. On occasion they were pleasant, but eating fluffly pancakes drenched in maple syrup, a sprinkling of powdered sugar, then following it with the sticky sweet mess that was those two slices of chocolate cake.

"Who eats two pieces of chocolate cake, especially if he just had pancakes?"

"Me that's who." Gon shrugged his shoulders. It seemed like it was something Killua usually did. Partake of two cakes after having some sort of sweet entree.

Killua's sugar tolerance, rather his sugar obsession, was beyond her understanding. "Okay I'll let the cakes go." It was time to get back down to business. "So umm... I'd like to continue now if that's okay?"

The two guys nodded.

'Two weeks ago, I was preparing to look for you. You Killua." She hesitated a bit, before adding, "Not because of the sword, because, well I wanted to." She didn't want another outbreak of "you only came to meet me after eight years because of a sword!"

"I was ready to meet you. My brothers didn't need me as much. A few months before, they completed their training and my father felt that my presence as their guard was not as needed as before. I wanted to come back and meet you for a few times already, but it was never a good time, and..."

Raiha trailed off and looked at something behind Gon. Gon looked behind them checking to see what or even who might have been there. But there wasn't anyone. Raiha blinked a few times before she noticed him looking at her. She smiled apologetically.

"Sorry, my line of vision drifts sometimes. Just ignore it, it's just a habit."

_"Raiha!"_

_"Yea?"_

_"You're driting off again you're not listening to me."_

_"I am, my eyes just like to move around a lot. There are so many interesting things here."_

_"More interesting than me?"_

_The white haired child crossed his arms and glared at the girl in front of him. Raiha poke him in the shoulder with a smile and said, "Of course."_

_"Fine then!"_

_Killua was just about to run when a hand grabbed his arm and pulled. Hard. The boy landed on his bottom, next to the Raiha's feet._

_"I forbid you to leave."_

_"And who made you boss?"_

_"Well if you really want to go just try. But you'll have me dragging you with both arms."_

_With that Killua started running, with more force, with Raiha hanging on to his right arm, laughing and desperately trying to keep up._

"And well then the sword got stolen. I was escorting my brothers to a meeting, my father was in another meeting, my mother visiting my grandmother, well basically we were out of the house. The swords have always been guarded heavily so we didn't think there was any chance that it would get stolen. Actually based on our security there seemed to be no chance that anything or anyone foreign would get in, let alone have an important artifact stolen. But it did happen. There were practically no signs of forced entry, but I don't think it was an inside job. All of the staff has been with us for a long time and we trust them. This was done with so much skill for a second I thought your family had done it Killua"

"Hey Zaoldeyks may be filthy assassins but we're not thieves."

"I happen to recall one or two instances when my dessert mysteriously disappeared when I was staying in your house."

Killua rolled his eyes and grumbled something that sounded like "Who remembers that sort of thing."

"The beauty of the two swords is that they are connected. By nen, I suppose. It feels like nen, or a power as strong and pure. It's like, a red thread connects the two. The sword's Nen gets stronger when together. At first I didn't know how to find the place I was supposed to look. But then..."

A pink blush began to creep in Raiha's cheeks. She hated how fantastic her story was starting too sound. This next part especially seemed far fetched even for her, who experienced it.

"Well I was holding the other sword, this one, and it suddenly glowed and started spinning and it levitated over to the plane ticket I had bought to go to Padokia. And I figured the sword was telling me to go to you."

Why did she think it was so? She just sort of did. Aside from the strange spinning, she could almost feel the sword pushing her with its energy. If it had a voice it probably would have said, "Go. It's the right way."

Killua looked at her and then laughed. Loudly. Was she serious? But thinking about it, perhaps those swords really did have some sort of mystical connection. The legend seemed to suggest so. But hearing something like that, he really couldn't help himself.

"And why are you laughing? What's so funny?!"

'Nothing.' Killua stifled another laugh. Gon looked at his best friend and smiled. It was great seeing Killua so cheerful. But seeing Raiha annoyed wasn"t so great.

'How do we help you exactly?' Gon asked the still pink faced girl.

'When I found that Killua wasn"t in Kururo Mountain, I used my Hunter card to track you guys. It"s like a credit card right; you can check when people use it to pay for expenses. That"s how I knew you were in York Shin. Before leaving to look for you guys, I got a call from one of my father's men. He gave me the name of three possible suspects. And they were all in York Shin as well."

"Wait a second, you went to my house?"

"Yeah. Your mother gushed over me, for an hour. How I had developed a remarkably sharp glare and how the aura of death positively radiated from me. Truth is, I was still jetlagged so I was probably making googly eyes at her. And the sweat that I accumulated from hiking to your house was probably the errr….aura of death. Your dad was the one who told me of how you had separated yourself from the family. That sent your mother gushing, in a whole different way." Raiha wrinkled her nose at the thought of Killua's mother wailing loudly in the large room was not a pleasant memory.

"Same old same old."

"So, I was thinking, maybe you guys could help me track down these three, it would save time instead of me having to go to them one by one. AND just to show you how appreciative I can be, this dinner will be my treat!"

"You should have said so earlier! I would've have ordered more then!"

"Do you have anything else you want Gon?" Raiha turned to said boy with a sweet smile.

"Well, I guess another slice of pie would be nice.."

"I would like another slice or two."

"I wasn't asking you, you already had too much sweets."

'What, are you my stomach or something? How do you know if I had my fill?!"

After another twenty minutes or so of this bickering, one more slice of pie for Gon, and one for Raiha, and two for Killua, the three left the restaurant to the utter relief of the staff. Apparently no one had wanted to sit near them because of the unpredictable bursts of arguing. York Shin was alive, alive with lights and sounds, sights and smells, and adventure. This would be the start of one of the many, not so ordinary nights.


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's notes:**

Yeay consecutive updates and a super long chapter! I hope this chapter fleshes out Raiha's character and establishes their (Killua and Raiha's) relationship more. Thank you again for everyone who reads! I hope your enjoying the story

New note:

To all the readers of Chasing Tides: First thank you for reading! It encourages me whenever I see that the story gets views. I've been editing the previous chapters and I think that it would be better to reread them especially the first three since it shows so much more character. Especially Raiha's. Of course I'm not forcing you to reread everything but it's a suggestion. I would love to hear from all of you!

Nispedana:

Wee glad you liked the story. Oh my, even I haven't thought out the tides part too much. :O It's sort of like the push and pull thing Killua and Raiha have (will have?) with one another. But it could be something more - Ooohh lots of room for improvement on my part here. I hope I've made Raiha show more affection here, ooh and in the last part, though a bit ambiguous, I tried to establish how she feels for Killua.

PS I've reedited some of the previous chapters with your comments in mind, specifically chapter 1-3. I've actually read the first chapter of your story Two Rivers, I just haven't been able to review it yet but but! I was actually going to read that story before I ran across The Lost Night fanfic then I got distract and I wasn't able to get back to it but now knowing that you wrote Two Rivers I'll be sure to read it. La~! (that was random. Haha)

**Disclaimer: **Me no own Hunter x Hunter

Killua closed the door of his hotel room softly. Gon was already asleep. His best friend's pattern of behavior wasn't hard to predict. Eat heavily, sleep early. He on the other hand, wasn't going to sleep so easily tonight. Too many things occupied his head. And most of it had to do with the girl who was in the other room.

If he thought about it carefully, who was she really? He could still see some of the nine-year-old girl he had met back then, but she wasn't quite the same. What was different exactly? He couldn't pinpoint it, after all he had just spent a few hours talking to her, which could hardly make up for the near decade he didn't see her. What had happened to her throughout the years, what did she think of him? Was she still even his fiancée? Did he even want her to be? What was she to him now? And what was he to her? He wanted to know.

He looked at the door of the next room and pondered whether he should knock.

Behind the door, Raiha was changing out of her clothes into more normal ones. She hated her bodyguard costume; it was so conspicuous. It wasn't the best clothes for moving around in either. She felt like a little girl playing dress up instead of a bodyguard, or a hunter. Why exactly was she wearing this? Oh yeah, because it was the only thing that marked her as a Kanakiri. Her brothers had the family crest tattooed on their backs as a sign of them being part of the family. Daughters were barely acknowledged in her clan. They were never heirs and were usually just married off to other wealthy families. But she had been different. She had been given a purpose, to protect the heirs. She was given an opportunity to become stronger, to develop herself and not just sit still and try to look as docile and pretty as possible. The strange garb she was wearing was made from the same cloth worn by all the other Kanakiri bodyguards. But her father went to extra lengths to make it as feminine as possible, modeling it after the long kimonos worn by the female members of the family. She sighed. The long gray hoodie and short denim shorts she had on were way less conspicuous and extremely comfortable. Tonight had been an eventful one. Over the years she had rehearsed how she would speak to Killua, and imagined how he would react. But of course it was different. She wasn't as smooth as she wanted to be, and Killua. Well, she had thought of a few different reactions but none of them was like the real one. The him right now disoriented her, although she wanted to think that she had played it cool earlier. She couldn't reconcile the lanky pale nine year old with the tall, handsome young man. Did she just use tall, handsome and Killua in one thought? He had changed. She had changed. What had happened in those years in between? Did he really not have a girlfriend? She blushed. Why was she so curious? Why was she so happy that he didn't have a girlfriend and that he had said that she was enough…of a bother? Did he spend the last eight years still thinking about her?

She decided she would talk to him about those years they spent apart sometime soon. She wanted to get to know him, and get to know herself when she was with him, the him now. She didn't like being disoriented. She opened the door and Killua was there, hand poised in a knocking position.

Maybe right now wasn't such a bad time.

"Hey. Uh, were you headed out somewhere?"

"Uh…yeah." Raiha's eyes had shifted to the side and she put her hands into her hoodie's pockets.

"Hold on, something's up. You do the shady eyes when you"re about to do something suspicious."

"Whaaaaat. Me, shady eyes? When did I ever."

"Well duh, probably when we were nine, were we together any other time?"

"Fine. I was still a little hungry. I wanted to get something from the convenience store."

"And you accuse me of eating too much. You're not as skinny as you once were you know."

"Are you implying what I think you're implying?" She felt her face get warmer.

"That you like to eat which is perfectly normal for us humans? Yeah. Let's order room service."

"Aren't you fancy. I could get by with just a hotdog."

"Let's just order okay?"

Raiha wondered why he seemed so flustered. Now HE was doing the shady eyes. Did he want to spend time with her in her room? Why was she having so many internal monologues? She decided to just go along with it; she did want to talk with him after all.

"Okay, come in then."

After Killua had phoned the kitchen for their order, the two of them sat on two corners of the bed. It was an awkward few seconds. Raiha felt self-conscious and wished she could look in a mirror. She then remembered that all the reunions she had imagined had some version of Killua saying she was pretty. She picked up a few strands of her hair and wondered if he found her pretty. She wanted him to think she was pretty. Why was that? She paused. Killua barely looked at her now she thought about it. Looked at her in that way at least. In that "This girl is hot/pretty/breathtakingly gorgeous" way. Was she not interesting enough to look at? Did he still see her as a nine year old? She wanted to know, although she couldn't fully understand why.

"It's sort of warm isn't it."

"Not really, wait what -"

Raiha took off her hoodie revealing a navy blue tank top. Killua cocked an eyebrow at her before his eyes started drifting -

"They're called boobs."

"Yeah, I know. Wait, what?"

"I just wanted to make sure you really weren't gay." Raiha stifled a laugh. At least he showed interest in that. She wondered if he remembered that time when he had asked her if she was really a girl, because she didn't look the same as his mom. Meaning she didn't have boobs. He had even put his hand on her chest. He was such a weird kid. Raiha was better accustomed to normal human etiquette and it was against such etiquette for a boy to be touching her chest.

"You finally grew them boobs huh? Thought you wouldn't."

So he did remember. "You've no right to say that, you weren't there during my formative years!"

"Yeah well neither were you."

Awkward. They had barely started talking and again, the issue of Raiha having disappeared for a few years was brought up again. It hurt more than she thought it would, him bringing those things up. She didn't think it would have affected him so much. Part of her was glad, because she spent a good few months in separation anxiety . Apart from her brothers, Killua had been the nearest thing to a friend.

"Hey, let's play a game."

"Childish much?"

"Please, I know you like games."

Killua had to smile at that. "What is this game anyway?"

"Make me laugh or die trying."

"Explain."

"Okay, each of us takes turns telling a story from every year we were apart. It has be short and funny. The one who laughs loses and has to do a dare. If no one laughs or both us laugh, we move on to the next year."

"Did you just come up with that right now?"

"Well yes. I sort of…Look Killua. I'm really sorry I just disappeared like that okay. But I had my reasons. "

"Are you ever going to explain those reasons? "I want to be strong to protect my brothers' is still, I don't know, kind of vague. And you didn't even say goodbye, why is that?"

"If you make me laugh, maybe."

Killua scratched his head and lay back on the bed. She had said she left to train but was that all that was? Why did she have to be the one to protect her brothers anyway? And why had she let herself be put in such a position? He didn't take her for one who would just do as she was told. On the other hand, he didn't like forcing people to talk about things they didn't want to. He wouldn't like it if somebody had suddenly forced him to talk about everything in his past. And he was funny, so he could make her laugh and make her talk. He was funny, right?

"Okay, you start."

Raiha lay back on the bed and so their heads were touching just a little bit. Their legs were hanging on the side of the bed, which wasn't the most comfortable position but neither seemed to want to move.

"Okay, I was ten years old. I had just moved in to my master's house to start my training. He always wore these long robes and stuff, that were held on by a cloth belt. He was still pretty young at the time, around 20 I guess. One time, he invited over this girl he liked. He was hurrying over to the door and shouting come in, come in and I accidentally stepped on his robe because I was running behind him to see what the girl looked like, and he got disrobed just when the girl had opened the door. He just stood there and blinked at the girl while I was in a heap of his robes. The girl looked him up and down and said "Oh" really quietly and suddenly ran off. Man, he was so mad at me after that I had to clean the bathroom for a month."

Killua was biting his lip and staring hard at the ceiling. Poor dude. But it was pretty funny. Still he couldn't let himself lose.

"That's nothing. When I was ten, my mom was chasing me through the woods and I turned just in time to avoid a log, and she tripped over it and fell in the mud. She was wearing one of her poufy dresses and all those folds got mud in them and she kept struggling to get her hat so she fell in the mud deeper."

Laughter started to resound in the room. Raiha sat up and buried her face in her knees.

"Not fair. No one who knows your mom can't not laugh at that."

Killua sat up and faced her, a mischievous grin on his face. "This is where the fun begins."

"You look like pure evil right now."

"I am pure evil right now."

"What do you want me to do?"

"I want you to give me a massage."

"I could kill you while doing that you know."

"As if I would let you."

"I mean, I was trained in knowing the body's pressure points. I could paralyze you. Then kill you."

Killua narrowed his eyes. Then he flipped over and lay on his stomach on the bed. "I'll take my chances."

Begrudgingly, Raiha massaged his back for a good 10 minutes. Killua had to admit that she was very good at it, until a huge slap came crashing down on his back.

"What the hell!"

"You were getting too comfortable there. Don't you remember we still have 7 years to go?"

The longer they played the game the more Killua realized that it wasn't hard to make Raiha laugh. She lost most of the time, and Killua just kept asking for massages. Most of her stories were her escapades during training, adding spicy peppers where they shouldn't be, giving her master foot cream instead of a balm for burns when he got a minor burn on his cheek. One was about the time she took her hunter exam and she accidentally threw a wasp's nest in the direction of her examiner. She said that being a hunter could get her all sorts of information she wouldn't have had access to otherwise and in her job, it was best to be informed. Her brothers received death threats weekly. Knowing which adversaries to take seriously and which ones to ignore were prerequisite. Raiha told stories about her brothers too. Killua realized that he knew next to nothing about them. Hisashi was 15 and Nobu was 13. The former was more reserved, quiet, lazy, and deeply attached to his sister. The latter was extremely extroverted, spoiled, and a big baby at 13. That was Raiha's description of them anyway. Killua could see how much she cared about them because there was something in the tone of her voice, familiarity and exasperation and fondness combined. There were stories of her dressing her brothers up as girls in order to avoid enemy eyes, and of Nobu being stashed in the girl's restroom while she took care of an extremely persistent assassin.

Raiha was frustrated at how easy it was for Killua to make her laugh. Some of his stories weren't even all that funny. Most of them had Gon in them. Some had two other friends, Leorio and Kurapika, whom he had met at the Hunter Exam. After he turned twelve there were no more stories of his family. Raiha was amazed by how Killua had emancipated himself from his family. She couldn't do that. She couldn't leave her brothers. She liked being a bodyguard, being relied upon, being noticed. But she didn't like being ordered around. And she did not like giving massages.

They were down to their last story.

"Let's change this up a bit. I'm sure you're tired of giving massages." smirked the white haired boy.

"It's not fair, I don't think you're even capable of laughing."

"You're just not funny enough. What if, for the last round, we make it Truth instead of dare."

"That's unfair, what if I won and all I get is one stupid truth."

"Well what if I won, you wouldn't have to give me a massage. Again."

"Fine. I concede."

"Good. Here's my story. When I turned 17, Gon had this brilliant idea to go to a zoo. Why, I don't know. When we got there he was all excited like he usually is and ran all over the place. He wanted to go to the monkeys and I was fine with anywhere so we went. The monkeys were sort of just laying around when Gon suddenly called out to them and started making these weird sounds. The monkeys started to get up and they flocked over to him and they were sort of, talking to each other. Everybody in the vicinity noticed how noisy they were being and went over to see and they were all amazed at Gon and deemed him, Monkey Boy. The monkeys liked him so much they tried to pull him IN the cage. The zookeepers had to pry the monkeys away from him. Before we left the staff asked us if maybe Gon was interested in being part of a show, something about him being raised by monkeys and dressing in very furry underwear."

Raiha stuffed her face in a pillow and didn't resurface for a good 30 seconds. Killua poked her in the ribs and she finally showed her face, her very triumphant face. "Ha! I didn't laugh so there."

"You still have to make me laugh remember."

"Easy."

Raiha went up to Killua very slowly, like a cat, her knees and hands on the bed. She was so close to him, their faces around to inches apart.

"What…are you doing Raiha?"

Raiha suddenly lunged at him, her hands going to his sides, fingers moving in a furious motion. Before Killua could stop her he was already laughing.

"What the hell Raiha, no fair!"

"I don't have any stories left! The point of the game was to make you laugh or die trying and here I am making you laugh!"

"Stop, you win!"

Panting heavily, the two lay on the bed side by side. Raiha began to giggle, then both of them started laughing. This was a surprising turn of events. She didn't think they would be so, so…friendly with each other. Looking at the two of them now, no one would guess they hadn't seen each other in eight years.

"Okay, what's your question then?"

The girl's laughter died abruptly and she stared at the ceiling for a few seconds before saying, "Is it okay to say I'm confused with what we are? When we met back then, I said I was your bride to be. When Gon asked who I was, I introduced myself as your fiancée. But we we're just nine then and now still only just 17. Somehow I don't feel right about calling myself that. I'm not sure if I still am your fiancée because, well, you really don't want to be the heir do you? And I, I'm not sure if…We don't even know yet, what will happen. We don't know much about each other right now for starters too, I mean do you even want to get married? Do…do I? And what if, we get separated again for how many years for whatever reason, who knows? Or we could get to know each other, and maybe be together for more than just a few months, and I don't know." She said all this in one breath almost.

"But…but! I want to tell you that I was really happy. I was really happy when I met you. Because you let me order you around a lot!' She laughed. 'I hated being a sore loser, and I almost always lost in our games. But you being my slave when I wanted you to made up for it. You were so strong even at that age. You would give me piggyback rides whenever I wanted. You let me play with your yoyos. You were the closest thing to a friend I had. I was really happy, that we met. And, I'm sorry, again, for just leaving like that. But when my father gave me the opportunity to be something in my family other than just a daughter to give away, I wanted to go for it. I saw how much your family invested in you. And I know you didn't ask for it, the whole being chosen as the heir thing. But I was… jealous. Maybe it wasn't right to be especially in a case like yours, but I was. I barely existed in my father's eyes. There was only so few things I was good for and marrying into a good family was one of them. I didn't know how to feel exactly about being taken away to meet the one I was going to marry and I didn't even know what marriage meant at the time. I dreaded it a little bit to be honest, being away from my family, but you… The moment I saw you I wanted to, I guess I wanted to be friends with you. But I had always been taught to know my place, and so I introduced myself to you as such.

Maybe I'm saying too much but I hope it helps in trying to understand why I did what I did. I hope we can move forward from that. I thought that I wanted to meet you again because it was my duty to, but the longer time we spent apart the more I wanted to meet you because…I wanted to bother you again, and talk to you, and annoy you, and laugh with you."

Raiha paused.

"I missed you."

She turned her head and Killua had his eyes closed. Her mouth opened a little bit before she grabbed a pillow and poised it over his head.

"I've been having a emotional upheaval here and you're asleep!" The pillow came crashing own on Killua's face. She didn't even know where those words had come from, they just came tumbling from her mouth. She was almost a different person around this guy. Unaware of her actions, unguarded. And turns out he wasn't even paying attention.

"dgwsdgsdgtfhgsd!"

Killua grabbed the pillow and the hand that held it. He pulled himself into an upright position before saying, "I wasn't asleep I just had my eyes closed." The look on his face softened and he released her hand. "So was your question, Is it okay to say I'm confused with what we are?"

"No, no of course not! I guess my question is, do you want to be friends? I mean, disregarding the whole fiancée thing, and our past and -"

"Look Raiha, I might not have known the concept of friendship at that age, but I'm pretty sure it's safe to say we were …friends. Technically. But if the past confuses you, then we can just start over. Yes, I do want to be friends. Right now, I want us to be friends." He said the words in a rush not even knowing which part of his brain it had come from, or even the part that allowed him to say such a thing.

"Then we are." Raiha put out her hand and Killua took it in his. They shook in agreement, then released each other's hands quickly.

"But umm. The whole fiancée thing…."

"Wow we've been friends for two seconds and now you want to marry me? Shouldn't we date first?"

"Should we?"

The reply caught Killua off guard. He thought she would say something more along the lines of "You know what I'm talking about!" or "Damnit Killua I'm being serious here!"

Raiha had never considered dating before. It was such a foreign concept to her. And she was pretty sure it was the same for Killua judging by the expression he wore. Didn't you have to like someone before you dated? Did she like Killua? Did Killua like her? Why was he looking at her like that? Physical proximity was a good way of knowing if you like someone she thought to yourself. Your heartbeat was supposed to go faster, or you would feel something in your stomach. She put her hand up to Killua and touched his face.

Killua felt like cold water had ran down his back. Why was she touching his face? Suddenly he felt his cheek being pinched and pulled.

"I'm getting sleepy. We've talked too much today."

"Yeah, you're right. But uh, why did you just -"

Killua's was being dragged off the bed.

"Whoa easy!"

"I'm really sleepy. You won't like me when I'm sleep deprived."

"Okay fine. Good night then. You're really weird you know that."

"Yes, goodnight!"

The door closed softly. Killua headed back to his room confused. "Women." he muttered before entering his room. In the other room, Raiha was looking at her hand. The hand that had touched Killua's face.

"I guess I know now." She said, before turning off the light and heading to bed. "Sort of."


	7. Chapter 7

**Author' notes:** Wow, it's the 7th chapter already. :)) Oooh new characters, and one of them is going to be important for the next parts of the story.

For all the readers out there, I've edited my previous chapters. Please do check them out! A lot more insights and also some extra flashbacks.

**Disclaimer: **No own Hunter x Hunter

"And then she touched my face! And pinched my cheek! And almost dragged me out of her room!"

"Why?"

"I don't know why! Who gets these girls anyway!"

Gon and Killua were at the dining room of York Shin Central Hotel, enjoying the morning buffet. Hunter status gave you access to all sorts of buffets. The white haired young man had knotted eyebrows and a frown while the black haired young man wore a slight smirk and amused eyes. One thing that they shared in common was the complete lack of experience with girls. Although, Gon liked to think he knew more about them than his best friend. After all, he was raised by one most of his life.

"Where is she now anyway?" Gon looked around the room for a sign of the blue haired girl.

"I don't know, probably doing girl stuff."

"Wow you're really shaken up over that whole she-touched-my-face thing."

At the precise moment that Killua opened his mouth, arms spread wide, probably to start another rant, Raiha walked in the door. She was wearing denim shorts, sneakers, and a black V-neck shirt, waving the long sword with one hand. Killua closed his mouth and put his arms down. He didn't want her to think he cared about her touching his face. Still, it was just so strange.

"Hey guys, sorry I'm late." The girl smiled at them apologetically. She sat down in the middle of Gon and Killua.

"Now that the two of you are officially on board Mission Recover Umi, I'd like to discuss the delegation of tasks."

Gon and Killua shared a look. This early in the day? The girl gets straight down to business.

She placed three photographs on the table. The first was of a tan man with a shaved head, an extremely muscular build, and an expression that would make babies cry. The second looked to be a man around middle age, wisps of auburn hair amidst gray, with a gargantuan nose and tiny slit like eyes. He was clad in a dark suit and silver tie over a white shirt. The last photo showed a man who was probably around their age, bleached blonde hair with black roots. He had a crooked grin and green eyes and two earrings on his left ear.

"These three, are the suspects that the security team told me about. The first one is Kyozo Linar, an avid collector of rare curios. He has special interest in swords. Aside from Tsuki and Umi, my father has his own collection of swords, some of which he purchased from Linar. I'm not sure how secretive my father is about the two swords, but knowing how proud he is when it comes to all things Kanakiri, I wouldn't put it past him to have told Linar. Or he might've let something slip during one of those drinking parties they have. Linar is tenacious when it comes to his collection. Something like our swords would've been a great addition to it.

The second is Mathias Smite, CEO of Smite inc., known for its guns. He tried to get my father collaborate with him on a project recently but my father turned it down. I remember he visited the house once and we gave him a short tour. He never went into the room with the swords but when we passed by it Nobu let the cat out of the bag. That boy has no filter. If I had to guess for motive, it would probably be ...revenge? I can't think of anything else. Although why the sword of all things, I can't quite reason out. He could've blackmailed the company, destroyed merchandise, or something more...straightforward.

The last one is….

_"Raiha, this is Tora, Tora Nichika."_

_Raiha was 14 years old. She was wearing a dark purple kimono with red and pink flowers and was standing in the hallway of a strange house. A boy with black hair and a crooked grin was in front of her, looking at her appraisingly. Her mother had to pat her on the shoulder slightly before she bowed, eyes moving slowly from the boys face to the floor. The boy followed suit, his bow not as low as hers._

_"Are you going to the meeting Tora?"_

_"Yes ma'am, I wouldn't miss it."_

_"Yes, the partnership of one's family to another is something an heir must witness."_

_"Will Raiha be going also?"_

_"Well yes, but for different purposes of course."_

_"Yes, I understand."_

_Raiha narrowed her eyes into slits and looked the boy straight in the eyes. She could feel his tone mocking her. She recomposed her expression just in time, because her mother had turned to face her. After one last scrutinizing look at her appearance she bade goodbye to Raiha and Tora._

_"Let's go.' The young man led her to the meeting room where unfortunately, she had the seat right across him. Wonderful._

is Tora Nichika. Only son and heir to the Nichika Yakuza. They specialize in construction. Our families used to do business together. But we had a falling out recently. It wasn't pleasant. There were some personal issues involved. One thing about Yakuza families: we hate getting our pride tarnished. That was precisely what happened when our family won against theirs in a sword fight. Nichika have their own style of swordsmanship, something they are known for in the yakuza circles. But they were wrong to challenge us. They wagered a good amount of money in the fight. All they wanted as their prize was the two swords. Why, probably because they wanted to use it as personal possessions? I don't know. They were always sort of strange. But they lost. They must still want those swords, and some form of their dignity back. If word got out that something was stolen, from our very house, we would be mocked by everyone. It was a sign of being sloppy. Two birds with one stone there.

So that's it for the suspects. I was thinking since all three are in York Shin, we could each track one. I have their hotel addresses.

...

There's one other thing I'm curious about though. If they had already gotten in, and were able to steal one, why not take the other one? It would have been relatively easy with the skill they had and the fact that again, they took the other one."

"That's true. Is there anything special about either one? Do they have any nen abilities?" asked Killua.

"Not any that I know of." Inwardly Raiha was kicking herself. Why had she not asked? She never knew much about the swords except the legend and their thread-like connection. She would call home as soon as she had time alone.

"Gon, you take the muscular one. He looks boring. People big on muscle usually are. I don't like oldies, you go track him Raiha. I think, I'll go for this one." Killua took Tora's picture and look at it devilishly. "This dude looks interesting."

"As far as I know, I haven't died and made you boss." said Raiha with a matching poke on the ribs.

"I don't really mind, the guy kind of reminds me of a foxbear."

"So we're set then? Gon with muscly, Raiha with oldie, and me with blondie here." Killua leaned back in his chair with his arms folded over his head.

"Fine fine."

The three finished their breakfast and headed out to track their individual targets. Linar was staying at The City View Hotel, Smite at Aviva Suites and Tora at The 100th Tower. Incidentally, the three accommodations were spaced as far as possible from each other, forming a triangle of sorts on the York Shin map. They wouldn't be able to meet up randomly during the day if they wanted to.

Gon stared hard at the photo in his hand. Really, add a few ears and some fat, the guy could pass of as a fox bear. Maybe soften the expression a little bit. Or a lot. He stretched his arms above his head It had been quite a while since he and Killua had done anything interesting. This seemed like it would be really interesting.

Killua tossed his yoyo up and down. It hadn't hit his head. Yet. There was no opportunity to prove Raiha right that it might not bruise his head. He doubted it though; the thing was heavy. Tora Nichika. He seemed like he would be interesting. He knew Raiha when he was younger too. Was it just him or did she seem a bit uncomfortable when she was talking about this Tora guy?

Raiha was grateful that Killua would be going after Tora. If it had been her it would've just resulted into one word: AWKWARD. Smite was fine, nothing she wouldn't be able to handle. Since the two were gone she decided to call home. Was there anything special about the swords?

Ring! Ring! Ring!

"Kanakiri residence."

"Hello? This is Raiha. I would like to be connected to Kanakiri Reika please."

"Lady Raiha! Yes please wait one moment."

*elevator music*

"Raiha!"

"Hi mom."

"How are you? How's the search going? Did you meet Killua? Oh your father asked about you-"

"Mom easy, too many questions. How's Hisashi and Nobu?"

"Fine, but they miss you. They keep complaining how boring it is without you."

Raiha raised an eyebrow. Boring? They finally get the freedom to use the skills from their training and they're bored? Spoiled brothers. But she had to smile at the 'they miss you' part.

"Mom, there's something I forgot to ask you. Besides the legend, is there anything special about the swords? I mean, do they have any significant powers or anything of the sort..."

"Mom?"

"Mom, are you there?"

"...Yes, sorry sweetie. There... is something special about those swords. But before I tell you, you need to promise me you're not going to...panic."

"You're freaking me out here. What is it?"

As Raiha listened to her mother's voice explain the significance of the swords, she felt time stop.

Apparently this whole thing was way bigger than just getting two old family heirlooms back.


	8. Chapter 8

**Authors's notes:** School will be starting soon so I'm making the most of my chances to update~! Here's chapter 8!

the-ultimate-star: I was so happy to get your reviews! I really really appreciate it when people do so. I'm glad you're enjoying the story! that was what I really hoped would happen, that people would enjoy my story as much as I've been enjoying the ones I've read here.

In this chapter, I hoped I've sort of justified just why Killua is acting that way towards Raiha, as you've pointed out he shouldn't that be close to her so fast. I really appreciate the comment! It made a lot of sense, and no no no offense taken at all. He still is a bit wary about her since he doesn't know her that well and yeah I think I could have shown that better. Hopefully, Killua's internal monologues here bring some light to that. I might go back to the previous chapters to edit them again when I find the inspiration. XD Your comment really encouraged me to update this quickly! :D thanks again!

* * *

York Shin was crowded as always. Weaving himself skillfully in and out of the rushes of people, Killua headed for a pristine tower that appeared to be covered in mirrors. To say that it was tall was an understatement. It loomed over all the other buildings in its vicinity, and cast the sunlight's reflection almost like small spotlights, on certain parts of the city. 100th tower, the most expensive hotel in York Shin.

"Why again am I doing this.",

It fell in between a question and a statement. Why was he doing this? Just the other day he had been perfectly content just lazing about in the city, devouring the sweet delicacies it offered. Gon and him had been through a lot over the years. Granted it was always interesting, the adventures they had, and to be honest he wasn't a fan of the ordinary, the boring and the safe anyway. But they deserved a lull, some time off, a break. But apparently it wasn't going to happen. Because Raiha had come along.

Why was he letting that girl order him around? It was rather…pleasant talking to her last night. But if he thought about it logically, even after all the stories, he still really didn't know her. She had told him things about her yes, but it was more of a history lesson than really getting to know her. Did he even know her back then? He tried to form an image of her nine-year-old self in his mind and it was proving to be difficult. She was always pestering him back then, asking him questions about his family, wanting to touch this and that. Curious. But most children are, supposedly. He realized that it was difficult because he remembered much more of how he had felt around her, of what they had done, or rather what he did when he was with her. Not her per se. Was he fabricating his idea of her all this time? Why had he let himself open up to her so much? And why did he say THAT?

He was thrown off guard when she asked if he had had a girlfriend. First thought was the real answer: no he had not. Second thought was: why the hell did she ask that of all things? The third thought came after he had answered her: why did he answer that way? That she was enough of a bother? He decided he wasn't thinking straight at the time. It was the smell of that goddamn restaurant! Sweets, even just the smell of them could make him do strange things. And her voice as she said it, maybe it was some sort of rhythm hypnosis? He was thinking too much.

But disregarding all the other issues of their past, the eight year separation thing, and oh God, the fiancée issue, he DID want to be friends with Raiha. Not because he wanted to feel what he felt when he was nine when he was with her, but rather, he wanted to feel what he made her feel now. Feelings!, he thought with a scratch to the head and a sigh. They were still a foreign concept to him even after all these years and he didn't like having to deal with them too much. She reminded him of Gon a little bit. There was something pulling him towards her. With Gon it had been, what had it been? How carefree he was? Them being the only two people in the exam who was the same age? Probably it was the extreme contrast to his own self that did it. People like Gon, rare as they are, are able to pull people like him out of the shadows. Loyal to the point of hardheadedness, so moral it was illogical, and a lot of times, hilariously naïve, these qualities were what drew him to Gon. Raiha wasn't exactly the same as he didn't feel like she was a complete contrast to him. Loyal, she did seem to be, at least as far as he could tell. She seemed to be very protective of her brothers, as Gon was with his friends. Moral, no not so much maybe, he couldn't say, naïve….was she? Perhaps not.

That time at the restaurant she had seemed…somewhat detached. Like she was acting out scenes in her head. Maybe she rehearsed their would-be conversation in her mind. It would be difficult to approach someone you hadn't seen for eight years without a game plan. But in her room she felt more, natural was it? Maybe that was a glimpse of the real her. Maybe that was what drew him to her, the faint glimpses of the genuine her that surfaced from time to time. With her, he felt like he was wading in shallow water, the cold still jolting him from time to time, but he was pushing himself on, ankles, knees, waist deep. He wanted to just dive in headfirst and let himself get used to the temperature. He could let himself get close to Raiha, actually he was already letting himself get close to her, and quite quickly he thought. Drawn like a moth to a flame. Or in his case, like...Like candy. She was like candy. That sounded horribly wrong, but he was drawn to her as he was to his sweets. It was one of those things he couldn't resist doing for reasons he would probably be able to logically analyze later, and probably that was why, that was why he was doing this. Or maybe Gon's overly extroverted behavior was rubbing off on him. He had been in close proximity to that guy for a good five years now. Whatever it was, he decided to keep on wading the waters.

* * *

Gon was rather happy by the degree of affectedness Killua was showing to recent events. Putting the long outburst he had this morning aside, Gon could see positive developments in his friend, like the open familiar way he conversed with Raiha. Killua was not a people person. He wasn't introverted exactly, but he was…picky, he thought the appropriate word would be. Picky with whom he lets himself get close to. He had wanted to ask his best friend more questions last night, but how could he resist the call of the bed? Especially after that heavenly meal he was finally graced with after waiting so so very long to eat. The truth was he really didn't mind helping Raiha. He loved adventure and this felt like it would be a good one. Besides, she had asked for their help, and gone to such lengths to find them, how could they refuse her? He liked the idea of making a new friend too, and even more the idea of Killua making, or was it remaking, a new friend. He could use more friends. Maybe it was because they had known each other before that Killua wasn't being as guarded as he would have been, but Gon felt otherwise. There was something in Raiha that made you want to lower your defenses, that made you want to get to know her more, that made you want to be her friend. Her eyes had flashed defiant, grown vulnerable, and shown sincere happiness in the few hours since he had met her. He wanted to see her other expressions. But for now, he needed to meet Mr. Foxbear Linar, or ...? What was his first name again? He shrugged and figured he would just stick with Mr. Linar. The City View Hotel wasn't all that far from the hotel they were staying so he made it in fairly good time. First things first, ask the receptionist.

'Hello, I"m looking for Mr. Linar?"

"Please wait for a moment.

…

We have three Mr. Linar's staying here sir. Which one would you like to meet with? Mr. Kiero Linar, Mr. Cualo Linar, or Mr. Kyozo Linar?"

"Oh errr…"

Why did they sound so similar? He memorized the man's face to a T, but not his name. Maybe he could show the girl his picture?

At that moment, Linar, the Linar that Gon was looking for, Kyozo, walked up to the counter next to him.

"I'd like to request the transportation service to pick me up at 11:00 today."

"Yes sir."

Gon looked at the man from the corner of his eyes. There was no mistaking it, this was Foxbear. He smiled at the receptionist and told her he would get back to her later. He looked at the clock hanging above the receptionist desk. 30 minutes to 11:00. Foxbear was walking over to one of the couches in the room. Gon followed him but sat in the couch opposite him, quite a distance away. He took out his phone and messaged Raiha.

"Foxbear in sight. Will follow."

Foxbear had his eyes closed. Up close, Gon noticed that his muscles seemed even more prominent. Where would he be going? He would find out soon. Gon shifted his eyes just in time. Across from him a phone was ringing. Foxbear opened his eyes slowly and took out his phone. Brilliant. An average person could not eavesdrop but Gon was far from average when it came to his senses.

"Yes, the auction. You'll be there? All right…...No. I have one piece I want to show you. Hahahaha! Yes it's worth your while. I've had my eye on it for quite some time….Yes, that's fine. I'll see you then."

Very very suspicious. Gon sat up straight. Looks like he'll be going to an auction.

* * *

Across The City View Hotel, quite a some distance away, Raiha was sitting in the lobby of Aviva Suites, her fingers alternating between twirling and straightening her pale hair. It wasn't the best time to be showing such signs of nervousness, but what her mother said earlier had really taken her aback. She stopped breathing for a few seconds and then took three consecutive deep breaths to calm herself down. Why hadn't her mother told her sooner? Why did she need to be kept in the dark? She felt anger brewing in her but she sighed and dismissed it. Getting angry right now wouldn't help her at all. She needed to be calm, collected. She would freak out later. Then she remembered Gon and Killua and felt her stomach churn. She had a lot of explaining ahead of her. She was glad to have these…two friends? They were friends right? Probably not. She had just met them last night. Or re-met Killua at least. But maybe they were in that getting to be friends stage? She hoped. Those two, they had agreed to help her, she could trust them couldn't she?

She would have to think about it later. Right now, her main concern was finding out whether Smite had taken Umi. At that moment, the middle aged man stepped out of the elevator. He was wearing a business suit similar to the one he had on in the picture, and was carrying a dark brown brief case. Raiha didn't hesitate to approach him. With a man like Smite, you get right down to business. He admired frankness. The man soon caught sight of her and and he stopped walking until they were face to face.

"Raiha Kanakiri. Quite a long way from home aren't we? To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"There's something I would like to discuss with you Mr. Smite."

The man raised his eyebrows in surprise. He stared at the girl in front of him before slowly breaking into a strange smile. She had gusto, this one, to be addressing him so. If he took out the Mr,. she was addressing him almost as if she was his equal. His eyes drifted a bit to the slim sword that hung at her side, strap slung across one shoulder. Raiha followed his eyes and instinctively put one hand on the blade.

"Why don't we go to a café near here and have some coffee?"

"Lead the way….sir."

* * *

It wasn't hard for Killua to spot Tora Nichika upon entering 100th Tower. He was making himself quite conspicuous. Seated on a long couch, with his arms and legs spread wide and about five girls surrounding him. They were all cackling like a bunch of chickens. Killua knew boredom when he saw it, and it was written all over that guy's face.

Killua decided he would try to catch him off guard and see how he reacts. He went up to him, the cackling girls quieting briefly to look at him before turning their attention back to the blonde.

"You're Tora Nichika right?"

"That I am. And I'm speaking to?"

The blonde had an amused expression on his face. Hanging around with these girls was a constant bore and he wanted something interesting to happen. Unfortunately they weren't the easiest thing to shake off.

"Raiha's….friend."

Killua watched the blonde's face carefully. His expression went through the motions of recognition at Raiha's name and surprise at the word friend. Killua tried to find any signs of stress but he could fine none. The blonde stood up and waved to the girls, eliciting a disappointed groan.

This guy. He was strong. Killua could see as much. He was built around the same as him, but slightly taller. He wasn't overly muscular but the arms coming out of his short sleeves were toned. He put one arm around Killua's shoulder. Killua almost flinched at the overly familiar gesture but he held steady.

"So Raiha's friend…Tell me, how is she doing?"

Swiftly taking the blonde's arm and placing at it's owner's side, Killua replied cooly, "Fine."

"Not the friendly type are we? Are you going to tell me what this is about? Or should we play 20 Questions first?"

Killua decided to try the direct approach. If Tora becomes hostile he could always just fight it out with him. It would speed things up and this guy looked like he could put up a good fight, and that he needed to be taken down a peg. "Raiha is looking for something. She thought you might have an idea of where it is."

"She said that?" Laughter. "Never thought Raiha Kanakiri would come asking me for anything. Speaking of which, why isn't she the one asking me? Couldn't stand to see me huh.' Tora looked…proud of himself while he said that. This guy's arrogance is hitting a nerve, thought Killua.

"So what is it, what she's looking for."

"A sword."

For a split second, Tora's expression changed. The arrogance was replaced by surprise, and was that, worry? Then it returned to its former expression. This guy definitely knew something. Killua smirked inwardly. He was right for picking blondie. This was going to be interesting.

"A sword huh. Maybe I know something, maybe I don't. So why don't you do something for me, friend. Tell Raiha to meet me here tomorrow, 7pm. If there's anything to tell I want to tell her myself."

"That's not necessary. Anything you want to tell her, you can tell me."

"Aren't we the helpful friend?" The blonde put his hand on Killua's shoulder, and green met blue as they stared at one another. "Do as I say."

Killua laughed and the blonde boy backed away a few steps, frowning. "Is that your attempt at threatening me? Because it looked to me as if you were just trying to make me laugh with its complete ineffectiveness."

"I wasn't threatening you, I was giving you a chance to save yourself before I had to MAKE you do as I say."

"Look dude, just tell me what it is you want to tell Raiha."

"I just did. I told you to tell her to meet me here tomorrow."

The two glared at one another for a few more seconds before Tora let out a smirk and said, "Tell you what. We'll arm wrestle for it. If I win, you be a good little friend and tell Raiha to meet me here. If I lose, then you get what you want."

Killua cracked his knuckles as his stared at the the blonde. "Deal."


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's notes: **Woo this chapter took long to write. It has more Gon in it yeay. Less Raiha but there'll be a lot of her in the next chapter. I'm kind of afraid of the next chapter cause I'm sure that will be longer and *sly smile* there's a reveallllllll. That whole mysterious phone call with Raiha's mom and the *special* thing about the swords shall be brought to light. PS I wanna acknowledge my bro J for helping me out with the processing of the next chapter and for reading this story.

Thank you for the new follows and favorites! Much love! 3

the-ultimate-star: Another speedy updateeeee.

kieyuuMizumi: Yeay thank you! 3 I haven't seen arcana famiglia. Might look into it. :) Here's the newest chapter!

**Disclaimer: **I think I forgot to do this for chapter 8. mehehe. I don't own Hunter x Hunter!

Gon bent his head from left to right and yawned. His neck muscles felt stiff. His legs felt stiff as well, so he gave them a few good stretches. Come to think of it, his whole body felt stiff. Sitting down in a rigid wooden chair for some time did that to you. He yawned. That auction took too long. It was already 4:00. The three of them had agreed to regroup in the hotel by 5:00, to update each other in the day's events. Not that there was much to tell about Gon's day.

At 11:00, a private car came to pick up Foxbear. Gon followed suit in a taxi. The ride wasn't too long and the vehicle soon arrived in a three-story marble building with long towering columns. Men and women clad in suits and crisp dresses were ascending the stone steps. Gon suddenly became conscious of his own clothes. He stood out like a bad stain on a newly bought white shirt. He shrugged. He would wing it.

Foxbear closed the door of the convertible and headed up the steps. Gon waited for a minute or two before following him. Once inside he saw Foxbear talking to a short pudgy brunette man with a moustache. He tried to get closer, but a tall man blocked his way. The man was looking at him with disdain, scanning him from his ratty black sneakers, his loose jeans, up to his faded green shirt,

'Excuse me sir, would it be possible for me to check your name in our attendance list?'

Gon didn't count on this happening. How was he supposed to wing this? If he gave a fake name, he would be kicked out. But the only real name he knows here is Foxbear's. What were the chances that Foxbear wouldn't find out that he used his name? This guy probably just wanted to make sure he wasn't lost；he did look as if he wandered in the wrong building. He straightened up, and casually pointed over to Foxbear, a smile on his face. 'I'm with my uncle, Fo-, I mean, Mr. Linar.'

The tall man looked over his shoulder at the muscular man, then back at Gon, then back at the muscular man. He seemed to doubt what Gon had said, but luckily another man, possibly his co-worker called out to him.

'Hey, what are you still doing here? We need to set up behind the auction room.'

'Oh. Sorry, I was-'

The man turned to look at Gon again but he had disappeared. The crowd was already shuffling towards the entrance to the auction room. The inappropriately dressed boy was swallowed by myriads of suits and designer label garments. Next to an old woman wearing a rather loud purple dress and matching hat, Gon breathed a sigh of relief. He searched the crowd for Foxbear, which wasn't hard to do as the crowd was composed of mostly short rich senior citizens. He moved closer til he was fairly near the man.

The seats inside the room were already occupied when he got inside. The room was a large one, but there were still around 20 people who weren't able to get a seat, him and Foxbear included. The host of the auction entered the room and greeted the guests. Two women in black gowns brought out two vases, each one a majestic shade of green. The host began calling out bids. The auction had begun.

Gon watched Foxbear carefully. He didn't seem to be interested in the artifacts that had been shown so far. Gon wanted to yawn, so so very badly, but he blinked rapidly to will the sensation to go away. How long did he have to endure this? This morning he thought this assigment would have been...less sleep inducing. He felt his mind going farther and farther away as the clock ticked on. At first he could still pay attention to each artifact but after a while they just started to look the same. He didn't know how much time had passed but the host announced that the next item would be second to the last. Gon glanced at Foxbear. He saw him nudge his short companion slightly. The women were bringing out a long wooden box.

He could hear Foxbear whisper to his companion, 'This is what I wanted to show you.'

Gon tensed as the women opened the lid slowly holding up….

A very wide sword, with a bright red jewel in the middle.

Gon's thoughts blocked out the host's words. It wasn't the sword he was looking for. Raiha had described the Umi sword as being shorter than the Tsuki one, and the blade was slightly curved inward, almost resembling a crescent moon. He closed his eyes. Wait a second, wasn't it strange how the sword that resembled the moon was named after the sea? He couldn't see the resemblance of the long slim sword Raiha carried with the moon. But a curved blade would look like the moon when it was in its crescent phase. Maybe there was another story behind it. Oh, he had let his thoughts run wild again. He glanced at Foxbear again and listened carefully.

'….That sword was owned by a former royal who renounced his title to live as a monk.'

'Very interesting indeed. You've always picked swords with strange histories Linar.'

'An artifact is only as valuable as the story it represents.'

'Were you ever able to get that pair you had your eye on?'

'Pair? Oh the Kanakiri swords. No. Those swords… That family would never let anyone touch them. Oh, but I want to see touch them least once. They're famous in collector circles.'

'A pity. But if it's the Kanakiris there's nothing to do.'

Foxbear nodded and the two men turned their attention back to the auction.

Gon sighed inwardly. Foxbear was out.

* * *

Raiha looked at the leaf pattern printed delicately on top of her coffee. This café was quite cute. Long shelves cluttered with books were on the walls. The wooden furniture were all white, and aged, with just the right amount of scratches here and there. The plates and cups were of various pastel colors. It was a strange café for someone like Smite to pick. It was too feminine, too delicate.

'You must be wondering why I know this café.'

Raiha looked up and nodded.

'This is my daughter's favorite café. She always drops by here whenever we come to York Shin.'

'I didn't know you had a daughter.'

'I should've introduced you two. She's around your age.'

Raiha sipped her coffee and nodded. Enough of the small talk and onto business.

'Mr. Smite, I'm going to ask you right out. Did you…have any involvement with a theft that recently occurred in our house?'

The man leaned back into his chair and laughed. This Kanakiri girl was amusing indeed.

'I'll reward your frankness with the same. No, I have not been involved in any theft…recently….in your home.'

Raiha observed his face for any signs of lying. He was facing her, eyes straight locked with hers. He didn't move them at all. When people were lying, they usually moved their eyes to the right indicating fabrication or the use of the imagination. His hands were placed lightly on the table on either sides of the cup. They didn't move nor attempt to cover any part of his face. He was being very open.

'Could I ask what was stolen?'

'I'd rather not tell. You don't need to know if you're not involved…sir.'

'I wish you luck on this matter. It must be an important item if you had to visit me personally.'

Raiha nodded.

'It's unfortunate our companies were unable to work together. An interesting partnership it would have made, I believe.'

'Perhaps.' Raiha's mind had already left the confines of the quaint coffee shop and was drifting off to Gon and Killua. She hoped they had more luck.

* * *

Hands locked, elbows on hard wood, sleeves rolled up, Killua and Tora sat face to face, a confident smile on both.

'You're going down blondie.'

'We'll see about that, friend.'

And so it began. The smiles on their faces grew wider as they realized their opponent was putting up a fight. They were enjoying this. Their hands were only shaking slightly on the table but neither was moving significantly. Tora was surprised at the amount of power the guy in front of him had. Appearance wise, he seemed the to be the fitter one, but he should've known better than judge by appearances. He had done that before, and he was proven wrong. Horribly wrong. He smiled at the thought. Raiha. He hadn't seen her ever since their family had that…thing. It was easy to misjudge Raiha as being one of those well-mannered, gentle ladies rich families liked to churn out. She dressed the part at least. Even her body guard costume was girly. It was hard to take her seriously when she was wearing that. Come on, can a skinny girl wearing half a kimono really put up a fight? He had pegged her as more of an ornamental bodyguard, for appearances sake, almost a mascot. An image model for the Kanakiris. But oh how he had been proven wrong. He should've realized earlier really. That defiant expression in her eyes when they first met should have been hint enough.

Killua could see that Tora's concentration wasn't as strong as earlier and he took the opportunity to strike. Slowly his hand pushed Tora's downward. Tora regained quickly and added more pressure bringing their hands to the starting level again. The two kept pushing. Soon a crowd had gathered. They weren't aware of their surroundings by that time though. Killua was surprised that he was holding out this long. Just how strong was this guy? Was he as strong as him? Maybe not in other aspects but in terms of arm strength…He had to acknowledge it. They were probably on equal footing.

How long had they been there? There was a time when the crowd had increased but it seemed like their fight had gone on so long they left. They had probably gotten bored due to the lack of development. Time seemed to drag on. There wasn't a clock he could look at. Was this going to be any longer?

Ring! Ring! Ring!

Killua's phone was ringing. The two locked eyes. Tora smirked at him.

'Aren't you going to get that?'

Killua looked at his pocket and hesitated. Why did a call have to come in now? Either he would win and take the call or lose and take the call. He preferred the former of course but at the rate they were going…

Ring! Ring! Ring!

Ring! Ring! Ring!

Ring! Ring! Ring!

'Ugh dammit!' Killua gave one good push and Tora's arm was slowly descending but the blonde was recovering and pushing his arm back.

Ring! Ring! Ring!

'Screw this!' Killua let his energy go, and the moment his hand touched the table he grabbed the phone.

'Who the hell is this! I was in the middle of -!'

'Why are you yelling?!' Raiha's voice shouted back at him. She followed in a softer voice, 'Where are you? We're here at the hotel.'

'Shit, it's already 5:00?'

'Umm yes? Are you okay? Where are you?'

'I'll be there soon.'

He stood up and started moving towards the door.

'Hey, don't forget, here, tomorrow at 7:00.'

Killua didn't have to turn around to know who it was. He could almost feel him smirking behind his back. He didn't need to turn around to check. If there was one thing he didn't like, and he didn't do, it was losing. He was going to fight it out with this guy again, and he would be the one with the smirk on his face.


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's notes: **Longest chapter yet. Took me most of the day to write. But I do sort of like how it turned out, I'm just anxious as to how you readers will find it. I'm a bit worried if it makes enough sense. I don't know if I can update as speedily after this one.

Thanks for everyone who's been reading! PS This story has a lot of..err breaks do you call them? The line thingys XD Jsut so you wouldn't get confused with the flashbacks

PPS I've edited the previous chapters so dialogues are now enclosed in "". A lot of people have been commenting that it's a bit confusing with the apostrophes

Pon: I hope over the course of the story she loses some clichedness. I actually reread some of the earlier chapters and I do get what you mean. I think at that time I wasn't fully acquainted with her character then. The more I write her the more I get to know her! So the more I'm able to show her character in a deeper way I guess. Weird cause I made her up. Haha

Yeah, some of the chapters are pretty short, they've been getting longer though. :O I think the chemistry came in at Chapter 6 onwards, so I hope you get to see that when you read it. Yep, dialogues are enclosed in ' '. No offense taken! Happy you took the time to review! All of my reviewers so far have been really constructive and nice! Thanks guys!

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Hunter x Hunter

* * *

"_What is taking Killua so long?", the little girl wondered aloud. Even back then she had the habit of twirling her hair. She was sitting on a large, rather intimidating wooden chair, her feet dangling inches above the floor and her arms resting on the chair's curved arms. Her voice echoed a bit in the huge room. It took Raiha a few days to get used to the interiors of the Zaoldeyk home. Their family wasn't one for overly dramatic furniture, and why did the ceilings have to be so high really, and the curtains so dark? But she liked this house. She liked it because she was allowed to run around, jump, and practically do everything she wasn't allowed to back home. Much more, even. Killua knew all sorts of tricks. She enjoyed learning them, mimicking him, and oh just moving around felt good. She had always felt stiff and contrived back home._

_She had glared at her father when he told her that she would be leaving home for a while, to spend some time with her would be husband. Although Raiha had been told that she would one day marry into a good family and thus bring honor to the Kanakiri name, nobody had bothered to explain what getting married meant. They had always just told her, "To be a good bride one must…blah blah blah…" But what was a bride, a wife? Was it just days of wearing clothes she couldn't move in? Talking in a soft voice? Always doing what other people say? Looking at her mother she thought that must have been it. And she didn't want that. She wanted to join her brothers when they accompanied their father, when they learned of a world she only saw the outskirts of. She heard their father say that Hisashi and Nobu would begin training in a few years. What kind of training? Surely it wasn't the same as hers, how to walk properly, sit properly, bow properly._

* * *

_She was in a restaurant with her family. Her brothers were busy playing with one another. Her mother had told her to sit still and not mess up her clothes, or her hair. She would be meeting her future father in law today, Silva Zaoldeyk. He was meeting her father for business, and her mother thought it a good opportunity to introduce her to him. The door opened and her father stood up to welcome the newcomer. A tall muscular man with long wavy silvery white hair, strong eyes and a firm jaw, Silva Zaoldeyk._

_Raiha could feel her mother nudging her to welcome him, but there was something wrong. She felt something in the air, something unpleasant. Her eyes scanned the room and it fell on her brothers. In the back of her brain there seemed to be a voice saying, "Move, move!" The voice kept speaking until she finally stood up, and time seemed to be in a warp, slowing down and speeding up, she couldn't understand. Her eyes caught the flash of something silver and she felt her hand moving almost on its own. Her fingers brushed on a hard slim object and time flowed as it usually did again. But the scene had changed dramatically. Her mother had stood up slightly, mouth agape, her brothers were turned to her, Nobu was pointing at the something in her hand, and Hisashi's arms had dropped to his sides. Near the doorway, her father stared at her as if seeing her for the first time. Silva glanced at the girl then at the arrow in her hand. He put his hand on Raiha's father's shoulder. "She's got potential, that one."_

_The meeting with Silva was uneventful enough, in terms of life threats. Her father and Silva had rushed out and scanned the surrounding area. After about 20 minutes they had returned saying everything was taken care of. Raiha kept clasping and unclasping her hands. She felt triumphant. It had felt wonderful to move like that, and even more wonderful that she had saved her brothers from a flying arrow of all things. By herself. A girl, like her, expected to be a mere living Kanakiri doll._

_"Raiha."_

_Her thoughts were broken by her father's voice._

_"I trust you remember that I told you you would be spending time at the Zaoldeyks."_

_She nodded and looked at Silva. Suddenly remembering what she had been taught, she bowed her head at him slowly._

_Silva chuckled at the little girl in front of him. She would make a very interesting companion for Killua. Normally he wouldn't have encouraged this sort of thing; this engagement was far too early. He smiled, with a hint of exasperation at the memory of Kikyo losing her head at the thought of having a little girl in the house. His wife had always been obsessed with having a girl, to the point that she dressed their youngest son as one. The moment he had mentioned the Kanakiris and shown her Raiha's picture she was in ecstasy. He glanced at Touya Kanakiri next to him. Traditional to a fault, he had set up his daughter's life before she was even ten years old. He was surprised that Touya had come to him offering his daughter. To be able to reach the Zaoldeyk mansion was enough of a commendable feat. He had made a solid case. His daughter would understand the lifestyle the Zaoldekys led, would make a good addition to the family, and all that jazz. He didn't question Touya's motives. There was a lot to be gained allying with an assassin family. Perhaps he had been that affected by the quality of work Silva had done for him. Whatever his reasons were, it was an interesting proposition. Kikyo had begged him to agree to it. Although he had said yes, he was still truly undecided. He had planned to make his final decision when he saw the girl. Now, after meeting her, and seeing that display earlier, he had come to his decision._

_'I'm sure you and Killua will get along well, Raiha."_

* * *

_The door opened and Illumi entered. Raiha stopped twirling her hair to look at him. He was strange, this brother of Killua's. His eyes felt dead to her, barely any sign of life behind them. She wasn't afraid of him, exactly. Just a bit, weirded out._

_"Yo."_

* * *

Raiha opened her eyes. Why had she remembered that all of a sudden? Gon had fallen asleep, head leaning back against his chair, just the slightest amount of…drool on the side of his mouth. She giggled. Disgusting. But he was tired because of her, because she had put him up to whatever it was he did today, she couldn't blame the guy for a little drool.

"What's taking Killua so long?"

The door to the dining room burst open causing the guests to simultaneously turn in that direction. An enraged Killua was standing at the door. He scanned the room with an intense expression causing the people to look back at their plates as if their life depended on it. He took long strides toward Gon and Raiha.

"Oy, Raiha." A dark aura was emanating from Killua. Gon was slowly waking up, smacking his mouth a bit. He raised his face and sleepily looked at his best friend.

"Hey Killua, where have you been?"

Raiha could tell that Killua was seething. And from the way he said her name it looked as if it was her fault. But why? What did she do? She just gave him a call. The dark expression still hadn't left Killua's face and he looked like he was just about to explode on her. If she didn't act soon she would end up half deaf probably. Deftly she reached into her bag and brought out a box of chocolate bonbons and waved it at him. Slowly but steadily his expression started to return to normal. Gon glanced alternately between the two. Raiha was good. Chocolate was the best damage control for times like these.

Killua ripped the box out of her hands and sat down. He began eating the bonbons, barely stopping even to breathe. After he finished, he leaned back on his chair and shot Raiha another look. He still wanted to scream at her, but the chocolate had already started to take effect. Damn woman. He would deal with her later. The chocolate had soothed his wounded pride.

"So, how did things go?"

First Gon relayed the story of the long, dragging and eventually fruitless auction. Raiha followed with the café conversation with Smite that was equally fruitless. The two turned to Killua expectantly and he reluctantly told the story of his meeting with Tora, and how, he had lost because he was rudely interrupted by Raiha's phone call.

"Just when I was winning you had to go and call!"

Oh, so that's why he's so miffed.,. thought Raiha. She knew how obnoxious Tora could be, especially when he was winning. Poor Killua. She wasn't really scared of the dark vibe he exuded earlier. She actually found it quite endearing. Very Killua-like. She did genuinely feel bad for him though.

As for the blonde, she was curious as to why he wanted to meet her. It was probably nothing. That jerk just wanted her to go through extra trouble and get nothing for it.

"That guy knows something though. When I mentioned that it was a sword you were looking for, his expression changed. Definitely suspicious."

"You're lucky you got something. I'd much rather arm-wrestle some dude than go through an auction." said Gon with a yawn.

"Tough luck buddy. Well at least you didn't have to see the guy. His head was so big I'm surprised he got through the front door."

Raiha sighed. So basically today wasn't fruitful for any of them. She stared at the sword before her then let her eyes moved to Gon and Killua.

The two were now animatedly chatting with one another. She smiled. They were great friends. She saw how natural they acted with one another, no pretenses. What they felt, they showed the other in real time. Would she come to be as close to them too in time? She wondered how these two saw her, if their impression of her coincided with her impression of herself. If she had to describe herself it would probably be collected, stubborn, risky, protective…wait, did it make sense to be all those at the same time? To be honest, she thought she was one of those people that didn't know themselves all that well. She kept contradicting herself, especially during the past few days. She wanted to think she was cool, calm and collected, but somehow she hadn't been recently. Remembering how she had jumped up and down in her room before meeting Killua, the uncomfortable and awkward pangs she felt during their first conversation in years, and oh God, the things that had come out of her mouth during that night in her room. She thought Nobu was the only one who had no filter in their family. And that time she touched his face! Not being cool calm and collected. She didn't know that there was such a side of her that existed. Maybe it was only Killua that brought it out of her? She had to admit to herself that she felt something strange when her hand made contact with his face. Good strange or bad strange, she didn't know. She wasn't accustomed to the feeling that was what she was sure of. Was this what it meant to like someone? She thought it would feel more pleasant, not this queasy sensation that made her act like a chicken who lost its head. Did she bring out anything different in him?

Maybe this was the opportunity to know herself better. Once again she was out of her family's confines. She could say what she wanted, act how she wanted, be who she wanted. Which was what exactly?

Raiha realized that she had been too far gone in her thoughts and that the two were now staring at her.

"You okay?" Gon asked.

She needed to collect herself, this was the explaining part she had been dreading earlier. No time to freak out. She had been getting these freak out urges more often or rather, not more often, more of, _she had been getting them recently_, since she didn't use to get them before.

"Uhh. Yeah. There's something I need to tell you guys though. About the swords. You know how I said there was nothing I knew of other than the legend that made the swords important? Well turns out there's something else." Something very important.

* * *

_"Panic? And why would I do that?"_

_"Raiha, listen to me very carefully. We have told you, Hisashi and Nobu the legend of the swords. But only the first part. You don't know how the swords actually came to be made, and why they are extremely important to our family._

_The ethereals had believed that the highest authority in the world was the Sun, from whom they received their energy. But it wasn't. There was an even higher power, and from that higher power came the humans. The ethereals had spent a good long while being the sole inhabitants of the world. What they didn't know was that they were never inhabitants to begin with. They were that which was to be inhabited. The humans came slowly, filling the Fields and Valleys. The ethereals were surprised that such beings existed, and what more, they were surprised at how free these creatures were. They roamed the lands as they pleased and what more, they used the ethereals as they pleased. They cut Trees and climbed Mountains, they bathed in Rivers and took fish from Seas. The Sun watched them by day, and the Moon by night. The humans were constantly developing, constantly changing, and constantly renovating the world. The adornments they put on their bodies changed over time, the tools they used. Fire was born. Metal was born. Glass was born._

_Throughout all these, Moon and Sea remained constant. They still continued their pattern of the tides, meeting when Sun bade the world goodnight. But the coming of humans started to fill them with desire, the desire for freedom. Sea, most especially. The more time passed, the more the humans progressed, and the more they did, the more frustrated Sea became. She would see them forming families, from couples, from individuals. Why were they able to do so? She felt envy in every part of her being._

_"Don't you want to be free Moon? Like them? If we were human, we could be together. Not just at night. Whenever we chose."_

_"I am not so sure. We are as we are for a reason. I don't know if becoming human is... Is it even possible?"_

_"There must be some way." Sea glimmered at Moon imploringly. He let himself be hidden by the Clouds, unsure of what to answer her._

_Soon Sea had made up her mind. She would become human. She would be together with Moon. On the night when the Moon shone on her in all his glory, she spoke to him._

_"We have spent so much time going along with what Fate has supposedly intended for us. We have let ourselves be run by the course of Nature. But what do we really want? What do you want?_

_I want to believe that there is a reason why I am pulled towards you, that there must be something more for us than just this. I have seen the humans, I have seen them walking in pairs, and how, how happy they are. I want to believe that we have the same right. That we are not bound by our circumstances. Or we will not be, at least, no longer."_

_Moon was moved by her words. He too, wanted to be with her. But becoming human? However, he no longer had a choice in the matter. Sea had made up her mind._

_Sea visualized what the humans looked like, how they moved, how they talked. She let the thoughts fill her, and soon the thoughts had overwhelmed her, and she felt strange forces shaping her. The ethereals were powerful, much more powerful than they gave themselves credit for. But were they powerful enough to become human?_

_The Sea looked as if it was in turmoil, Waves crashing against the shore. It raged for a minute or two before suddenly becoming calm, still, quiet._

_A man had come out of his home, his interest roused by the noise the sea had made earlier. But it must have been his imagination for now all was silent. He was walking along the shore when he was stopped in his tracks by a strange sight. A woman with hair of pale blue was lying on the shore. Her hair was so long that it lay on a coil at her feet. She looked pitiful. The man decided to bring her to his home._

_When Sea awoke the sight she first saw was the ceiling of a house. She could feel something on either side of her and below her, something she was connected to. She lifted them up and put them in front of her. Hands._

_"What are these….?" She sat up and looked down. She could see a body clad in white._

_"Good, you're awake."_

_Sea stiffened. A human. The human was rather tan and had black hair. He had very dark kind eyes, and his lips were curved into a smile. The man was struck by the girl"s beauty. Her eyes were blue-green and contrasted sharply with the paleness of her skin. Her long blue hair framed her face delicately. She was unlike any other human he had seen in his lifetime._

_"Who…" Her voice was soft and a bit hoarse._

_"Oh, yes pardon me for not introducing myself. I am called Kanakiri." The man bowed slightly. He suddenly felt bashful. This girl was truly beautiful._

_That man was the first of our kind, Raiha, our ancestor. He was a blacksmith who lived near the sea. He had told Sea how he had found her on the shore. Sea remembered what she had done, how she had willed herself to become human. And she had succeeded. What about Moon? What had happened to him? Did he become human as well? Where was he?_

_Kanakiri tried to engage Sea in a conversation but her mind was only on Moon. Kanakiri offered to help her if she needed any but she dismissed him and said she would be fine on her own. She did not feel at ease with this human although he appeared harmless. She had seen enough of humankind to know that they could turn cruel at any moment. He wanted to get to know her, but he didn't want to force her. He could sense how reluctant she was on interacting with him. He let her go, after giving her a robe to wear over her the thin white one she had on. As she walked out of his home he felt a pang of worry in his chest. The girl seemed too delicate to be left on her own. He hoped she would be alright._

_Sea wandered around the area and searched for Moon. She was sure she would recognize him, even in his human form. Under the heat of the Sun, she walked. It was not too long before she began to feel hunger, and fatigue: things she was not familiar with, things ethereals did not feel. She did not know what to do about such sensations, and so she pressed on with her search. Wandering, wandering, traversing the land around the sea that she once was. She felt a certain emptiness looking at the wide expanse of blue that used to contain her spirit. But she was glad that when she became human it did not disappear. The sea had been her body; now she had a new one. Her spirit was constant._

_The day wore on and the Sun began to set giving way to darkness. Moon appeared in the sky. She looked up at him and tried to talk to him, but there was no response. Frustrated she tried talking to Trees, Stone, Waves, Froth, but there was no response. Becoming human had severed her ties with the ethereals. She could not hear them; they could not hear her. She felt alone. So alone. Where was Moon? She felt something wet touch her face. She tasted salt in her mouth. What was this?_

_She was crying._

_She kept wandering and wandering, repeating the same cycle of crying out at night, no longer aware of the direction she was headed. She hadn't eaten or had anything to drink. All she was surviving on was sleep and her desire to see Moon. She did not know that she was heading back to the direction of Kanakiri's home. A short distance from his home, she was overcome with fatigue._

_She awoke in his house once again. He smiled at her and handed her a bowl of broth. She did not know what to do with it. Puzzled, Kanakiri made a gesture of putting an imaginary bowl up to his mouth and drinking it. Sea followed slowly. The broth was hot and good, and she soon finished it. So this is what it was to be human. She thought they were completely free, but they were prisoner to their bodily sensations. This feeling, hunger, she noted carefully, was one such captor._

_For the next few days she was too weak to move around. Kanakiri nursed her back to health, feeding her, giving her medicinal supplements. Sea began to lower her defenses. This human was not too bad. They began to talk. Kanakiri told him of the world of humans, things like money, and markets, and of his trade, blacksmithing. Sea told him stories of the ethereals, how Rain danced beautifully, how the Wind was such a gossip. Kanakiri laughed and told her she knew such wonderful myths. Myths? But these things were real, it was what she knew from having lived in this world. But she did not blame him, he was only human._

_When she had regained enough strength, Kanakiri asked her to be his wife. She did not know what to say. Her heart ached, as if deep inside her chest a hole had grown and she was being swallowed inwards. Moon. She longed for him. Her eyes refused to shed any more tears, her voice could no longer call out to him. Maybe it had all been a mistake. Becoming human was a mistake. But it was the price she had to pay for defying Fate. For rebelling against Nature._

_That night she went to the shore and stood there feeling the waves crash against her feet. The water was cold. This was her old body greeting her new one. She gazed at the moon. It was full tonight._

_"I am sorry. If only I hadn't desired too much maybe now…maybe…_

_I will always be pulled towards you. And you to me. This lifetime has been cruel to us. But I will meet you one day. For now I will surrender myself to this human, this Kanakiri. He is kind. He has taken care of me during these trying times. Please forgive me, for allowing myself to be tethered to this man. But if I am to be tied to a human, at least it is to this one."_

_Kanakiri watched her from a distance. He was surprised when he awoke to find her gone. But she was just there, standing on the shore. He was completely enamored by her. Although in his heart he felt as though it was only a hope against all hopes that he carried, he still wished for her to be with him._

_Her back was to him, and it was mostly her long hair that he saw. The moon seemed to shine only at her then, a thin straight ray of light illuminating her beautiful figure. Soft waves were crashing on the shore, stopping at her feet. Delicate concaves fading into sand. It was a sight that struck him to the very core of his being, a sight that ignited his artisan's spirit. He went back inside the house to await her return._

_He had fallen asleep and sunlight was already streaming inside the house when he awoke. Sea was beside him, a gentle look in her eyes._

_"Yes, I will be your wife."_

_Kanakiri created the Tsuki and Umi swords because of the sight he saw that night. Sea's lone figure illuminated by the moonlight, standing in front of the sea. Tsuki, straight and fine like the ray of light shone by the moon, and Umi, a shorter straight sword etched with a pattern of small waves on the blade."_

_"Wait mom. As far as I remember, Umi is a curved sword."_

_"That sword wasn't always curved Raiha._

_Sea and Kanakiri lived a pleasant life. But Kanakiri always felt like his wife was restless. Like she had lost something and couldn't rest until she found it. Sea bore him two children, a boy and a girl. She enjoyed being a mother. Giving life to another was one thing she appreciated about being human. Although there was nothing to complain about her home life, she never fully felt right in her human form. She knew there was a time limit. Humans were not like ethereals in that they existed indefinitely. Even Trees that were cut would make way for new Trees, and the former spirits of the cut Trees would inhabit the new ones. Humans, she thought, were not like that. She did not know where their spirits went when they died. But an instinct told her they did not keep recycling through other humans born after their death._

_This body was only one she would be passing in, not staying in forever. Years passed, and she felt that soon she would bid goodbye to her human body. Kanakiri was distraught when she began to deteriorate. He called in doctors, medicinal men, but to no avail. She was dying. He felt it unfair, that she would leave this world before him. She had come so suddenly, and now would be leaving him as abruptly._

_This man, Kanakiri. He was a good man. Sea thought lying on her deathbed. Her children thought she was just sick temporarily, that she would soon get better. She regretted that she would be leaving them so soon. But she had no control over her body, its limitations. Kanakiri was sitting beside her, head buried in his hands._

_"Are you sad, Kanakiri? Do not be. My body may die, but my spirit will never disappear. It is how I am made."_

_The man lifted his head and stared at his wife. He loved this woman. He knew almost nothing about her past save what she told him, but all she told him were myths. He held her hand in his own and squeezed it softly._

_"I have been unfair to you, keeping secrets from you throughout all these years. But do not worry; it is not of your concern. There is something I am searching for, someone."_

_"Kanakiri… I am hoping that as I say goodbye to this lifetime, I might meet him in the next. One day, I will come back into this world, once again as a human, born in the line of the family formed from the two of us. I trust that when that time comes, I will finally be able to meet him._

_Thank you, Kanakiri. Thank you for taking in a stranger like me, making me your wife and mother of your children. I have lived in this world long enough to know, that humans like you, are not as common the world would like. May the ethereals bless you. "_

_Sea closed her eyes and Kanakiri felt the hand on his lose life. His wife was dead._

_He buried her with the two swords he had made. Seeing them conjured up memories he would rather not recall, at least not for a while._

_The years passed. Kanakiri grew well into old age until it was time for him to bid goodbye to the world. Before he died he asked to be buried with his wife."_

_…._

_"Hello? Mom?"_

_"Oh sorry, where was I? …They dug up her grave, in order to place him inside. Upon uncovering Sea's body, they saw that one sword had curved inwards, that was Umi. They lifted the swords out of the burial area, and suddenly a voice began to resound. Sea, it was her._

_"Kanakiri. And so the time has come for you to leave the world. Til death you are loyal, wanting to be buried with me. But you are more fortunate than I. For though your body must remain here, stuck, your spirit will freely find its true destination._

_I have been confined here, unable to find a new body, unable to continue my wandering. The human body I once had is now nothing but more dust and bones and I have nowhere to go, save these swords your father has crafted. My children…. I implore you. Take these swords and keep them in your possession. These swords will protect you. Never let them out of your possession for they are the spirit of your mother. You are the trunk that will soon bring forth branches, but what is a tree without its roots? My spirit will linger in this family, in these swords. The tree shall grow where its roots are planted."_

_"Those swords are physically bound to everyone born of the Kanakiri bloodline. You, your father, your brothers. You are the branches and those are your roots. Those swords are important because they are almost like…part of your life source. A fragment of your spirit. Do you remember that day, when you snuck in the sword room? Do you remember how you felt?"_

_She remembered. When her fingers brushed against Umi, she was filled with a warmth she had never known. A burst of energy, of life. It was as if she wasn't fully complete, and she had finally found a part of her she never knew was missing. Like she hadn't noticed she was thirsty until the water was running coolly down her throat._

_"Raiha…._

_Do you remember, that day when Umi was stolen? How weak you felt?"_

_"Yes."_

_"Raiha, the loss of that sword could mean physical repercussions on our family. I'm not sure how you're feeling right now, but…. your father and your brothers… are not doing so well."_

_"What do you mean? They were much better off than me when it was first stolen."_

_"You have its pair with you. And perhaps…perhaps it is because you are near the sword now? Perhaps, you are closer than you think. But I am sure it is not near us now."_

_Her mother"s voice had gone weaker as it explained the circumstances. So…their lives depended on these swords? And she, she was tasked to recover them? If her family was suffering maybe she should return the other sword? No. The swords needed to be together. She needed to act fast._

_'You should have told me sooner."_

_"We know you. We didn't have to tell you to make sure you were going to do the best you could. Raiha. We're counting on you."_

* * *

Raiha took a deep breath after she finished relaying her mother's words to the two. It all seemed too much like a fantasy, but she had _felt_ it: that near gut wrenching feeling of her energy being sapped away. She looked at the two in front of her. Gon was looking at her in a concerned way, brows knotted.

Killua's gaze held hers and quietly he said, "We'll find that sword. You have me and Gon." The two friends looked at each other, smiled, before giving Raiha the thumbs up sign.

She couldn't argue with their optimism. She smiled at them both before saying, "We're going to eat a lot tonight! My treat!" which was met with loud cheers. She was still worried to be honest, but, with these two, maybe things weren't so bad.


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's notes:** Oh my, I'm so sorry for not updating for so long. I've been very very busy since school started so I really haven't had time to continue the story. Finally here's an update! Thank you to all the new readers and to everyone who still reads this fic! I appreciate all the views! I hope you guys take the time to review too :)

**Disclaimer:** Don't own hunter x hunter

* * *

"I should have brought more clothes."Raiha said with a sigh as she struggled to tie the sash around her waist, securing the black robe around her body. She surveyed herself in the mirror and scrunched up her nose for a second as she took in her figure. The bodyguard uniform she had on was far too conspicuous and a lot misleading in her opinion. It seemed to be designed for a costume party rather than for guarding someone. But it had to do for the meantime. She had used up her clothes and hadn't had time to buy any new ones what with the recent developments. After one last look, she picked up the slim sword on her bed and left the room, and nearly collided with the white haired young man who was standing outside her door.

"Watch it Raiha." Killua flashed her an annoyed look, rubbing his left elbow slightly, pained from the sudden collision. Gon was behind him, a pitying expression on his face.

"I don't recall telling you to stand outside my door."

Killua raised an eyebrow at her before saying, "Someone's in a bad mood. Your face might freeze that expression if you keep it that way for too long."

Raiha wasn't aware that she had been scowling until he told her and she slowly tried to pick up the corners of her mouth upward, but failed. She sighed and ran her fingers through her hair quickly.

"Sorry, I'm just high on hostility right now. Tora sort of has this effect on me. On top of not having anything else to wear beside this." Raiha said scrunching her nose and gesturing at her clothes.

"Wow, you haven't even seen the guy yet. Let's try to avoid the bloodbath when we do see him, okay Raiha? And I think you look nice in what you're wearing. " Gon smiled at her and she felt some of her annoyance fade. Gon was really good at getting people to calm down. She didn't want to be agitated by Tora and her conspicuous costume, and most of all, she didn't want him to SEE she was agitated. She and Tora had never gotten along well, although they've spent quite some time together in the recent years.

"Let's get this over with, shall we?" She didn't know if this meeting was going to be fruitful or not, but knowing Tora he wasn't going to make it easy for her either way. She smiled at the two in front of her and the three of them started towards the elevator.

* * *

"Hey guys, I'm getting a bit thirsty. Is it okay if I stop by the convenience store first?"

"Sure Gon, no problem."

Killua's eyes lit up slightly and his lips curled into a smile. "I'll go with you, maybe there's some good candy there."

Raiha rolled her eyes at Killua's comment and waved the both of them away. Killua and his candy. She welcomed the interlude since it prolonged her meeting with Tora. But, they were only a few more minutes away from 100th tower. She could see the tower glistening just a few blocks from where she stood, its figure prominent in the city view before her. She closed her eyes and blocked out the sights and welcomed the sounds of the city. She loved this sound: this mish mash of voices and sirens, and car horns and music, and just life. There were so many things going on around her, and she enjoyed that feeling of constant movement. She didn't like stagnancy; boredom was one of her worst enemies. But she supposed it never hurt to just stop and listen for a little bit. She opened her eyes and almost immediately regretted it, because there was a group of three rather sleazy looking guys staring at her in a too friendly manner. They were all wearing hooded jackets of various shades of gray, dark jeans, sneakers and cocky sneers. One had badly bleached blonde hair, another was a near shoulder length brunette, and the third had a head of close-cropped black hair.

"Niiiiiiiiice dress you got on there."

"We don't often see a girl as pretty as you here. Off to a party?"

"What's your name baby?"

Raiha kept silent and just stared at the three of them. She hated dealing with these kinds of people. People who give her one look and assume she's one of those cutesy types. Another reason why she hated her bodyguard costume: it seemed to be a magnet for these kind of guys.

"Why don't you come with us, I'm sure you'll have a lot of fun."

"I'm good, thanks."

"Aww, come on, don't be a prude."

The guys were starting to get more persistent, inching closer to her. She backed up slowly til she felt a street lamppost on her back. They were cornering her. She could smell alcohol on their breaths and smoke on their clothes. Up close she judged that they were about her age. It wasn't long before she would blow her fuse. She bit her lip slightly and wondered if she could spare these three a few of her precious minutes.

Gon and Killua walked out of the convenience store and caught a glimpse of Raiha surrounded by the three. Killua prickled at the expression on their face as they looked at Raiha. She was staring icily back at them, back pressed to the lamppost.

"Oy Gon!"

"Got it!"

They were just about to rush to her side when something stopped them in their tracks. Suddenly Raiha sped into movement. She first moved towards the black haired guy to her left and elbowed him in the gut with her left hand. Simultaneously, the unsheathed sword in her hand struck the bleached blonde in the gut as well. She crouched quickly and kicked the brunette in the shins. The two gutted guys moved towards her, poising to throw themselves on top of her but she had already jumped and landed outside of their circle.

"Are you sure you want to try that with me? It'll end in me having so much fun and you, well, not so much." She twirled the sword once and gave them a smile.

Hands on the affected parts of their body, the three gave her one last sneer before shuffling away dejectedly, muttering curses with every step.

"Raiha!"

Killua and Gon ran up to her both wearing a proud expression.

"You're not half bad."

"We were going to help you but you definitely didn't need it."

Raiha could feel her cheeks getting warm and she flashed the two a smile. "It wasn't much, those guys were just getting a little too close for comfort. Let's go." She was happy that they had praised her. She thought she deserved it; she was able to hold her own against three guys after all. Yes; she definitely wasn't one of those helpless damsels in distress. Straightening her shoulders, she proceeded to walk with just the tiniest bit of swagger in her step, before she found herself tripping.

"Woops, careful." Gon had caught her by the waist just in time. Her feet were poised awkwardly and her hair hung by the sides of her face. Killua swallowed as he saw his best friend holding Raiha by the waist, his head close to hers. There was an unfamiliar pang at the back of his chest, and he felt like he wanted to drag Raiha from Gon's hands.

"Thanks Gon." She stood up and started cursing herself mentally. Way to erase the glory of the fight earlier. To be honest, she wasn't the most graceful of creatures when it came to the daily activities like walking but she didn't think she would be showing it to these guys so soon.

"For someone who can fight you really can't walk." said Killua with a smirk.

She crossed her arms and was just about to retort when suddenly he had linked his arm with hers and was dragging her to the tower.

"Come on, we need to hurry up. You need someone to make sure you're not going to trip, clumsy" Killua had his eyes locked on the tower, and his arm locked with Raiha's. It was an impulsive gesture, but he felt like it. What if she tripped again? It was a lot of work for Gon to have to catch her again. At least this way, maybe he could alleviate his best friend of such duties. Yes, he was doing this more for Gon than for Raiha.

Gon watched him from the corner of his eye and smiled inwardly. His best friend was going through the motions of puberty right before him. They were the same age, and personality wise no one would judge him to be the more mature one, but he had this sort of fatherly feeling over Killua. He was such a child sometimes, and wasn't very familiar with things like emotions and interacting with people so seeing this impulsive side of Killua made him proud.

Raiha wondered why she didn't pull her arm away. He was ridiculing her but she just didn't feel like fighting. The truth is, she wanted to stay this way, Killua close beside her. It felt pleasant. But walking this way, it felt like she would trip easier. Oh well, she thought, the tower wasn't too far off, which seemed like it was both a good thing and a bad thing. A few minutes walking like this wouldn't hurt; a few minutes this close with Killua wouldn't hurt.

* * *

Tora smiled to himself as he thought of meeting Raiha. She would probably meet him with a scowl and knotted eyebrows, and demand if he had just led her on a wild goose chase. Their relationship wasn't the friendliest one over the years. It was laced with arguments and fights, but actually, a lot of meaningful talks and laughter as well. Well he thought so at least. He fixed the collar of the crisp white shirt he had under the black blazer he wore.

* * *

_One by one the yakuza drifted out of the room, leaving behind Tora stading near the screen door. He was surprised to see that Raiha had remained behind as well, still seated on her place at the table. She was staring at him with an expressionless face, but he noticed that she had bitten her lip slightly. "Would you quit looking at me with that expression?" she asked from across the room._

_He smiled at the blue haired girl innocently, and shrugged. "What expression?"_

_"That, 'I bet the fiercest thing you know how to do is make tea' look." Her face lost its stoniness and she glared at him fiercely. Although it wasn't as effective paired with her attire. _

_"I don't think I've ever looked at someone that way." He answered. This girl was amusing, very amusing. He wasn't used to anybody going against him and it was refreshing. _

_"Well you have; you are." _

_"Tell me something, if I was, can you blame me? What's a girl like you doing tagging along to meetings? You're just sitting in the sidelines anyway. Are you supposed to be something for sore eyes in the sea of those plain faced yakuza? A pretty - "_

_"I am the official bodyguard of the Kanakiri heirs." She said matter of factly, as if it was supposed to shut him up._

_"Yeah, I heard. But, really? I mean, really?"_

_"You might be the Nichika heir but I'm not afraid to kick your ass. You need to step down your high horse." This jerk was getting on her nerves, she thought. There weren't any rules about fighting with other heirs, actually the only rules she had was wear her uniform and protect her brothers. She could think of smacking this Tora around as a form of protecting her brothers from his influence. Or something. She could find a way to justify her actions. _

_"You know, that sounds interesting. How about we take this outside? But let me tell you I don't go easy on girls."_

_She simply smiled at him and stood up, fumbling a bit because of her kimono. _

_He held back a laugh. This was going to be over quick. _

* * *

But how wrong he was.

He raised his eyebrows at the sight that met him at the lobby. Raiha wasn't alone. The temperamental friend was with her, and some other guy he didn't know. So much for the reunion he had hoped for.

"I thought I had told you to tell her to come alone." Tora eyed Killua with a sour expression, his eyes lingering on their linked arms.

"I don't remember agreeing to that part." Killua eyed him back haughtily.

Raiha and Gon shared a look. They found the tension between the two amusing, as they looked like two twelve year olds instead of two seventeen year olds.

"You two seem awfully close." Tora gestured at their linked hands. Killua only tightened his grip, his expression becoming even haughtier.

"We should be, she is my fiancée after all."

Tora laughed before he noticed that he was the only one who seemed to find this piece of information ridiculous. "You aren't serious?"

"Technically, we are engaged." Raiha simply said rendering to different reactions. Killua's mouth tightened at the word _technically_ while Tora smirked at it. She didn't really know how to expound any further on that topic. It was still being worked out wasn't it? So it was best to go for the safe answers.

"Even if it is true, it seems like it's just a formality of sorts huh?"

"Look, can we not get into this? It's a very long story and we should be talking about more important things, like why you had to drag me all the way here."

"Don't talk like that Raiha, didn't you miss me?"

"Do you really want me to answer that?"

"I don't want to pain you anymore by having you say how much you've longed for my absence."

"You haven't moved on from being fourteen haven't you."

Killua cleared his throat and narrowed his eyes at Tora. "Why don't we get down to business here?"

"Unfortunately, I only reserved a table for TWO. So some adjustments have to be made, obviously."

"Of course, it'll be a tight fit but we can make it work, right Gon?" Killua smiled widely at his friend, and looked at Tora with narrowed eyes.

"That's not what I meant." The blonde answered, his eyes narrowing back.

* * *

Gon and Raiha could feel the tension building between the two. Killua was cool and nonchalant for the most part, and this kind of thing didn't usually faze him. Gon crept behind him and tapped him on the shoulder. He had to cool him down, before the two could spring onto each other like a pair of moody cats. His best friend's shoulder was tense, but it slowly relaxed.

Raiha saw Tora's green eyes narrow even more as he stared at Killua. She cleared her throat and the tension seemed to dissipate, the blond and the white haired young man's tempers slowly cooling down. Both had probably realized that there were important matters on hand, and they needed to be civil.

"Would it be possible to accommodate two more people Tora?" Raiha smiled sweetly at him. Although she didn't really think sharing a meal between the four of them was the best idea, seeing as how a fight could burst at any given moment, but there really wasn't any other alternative. Eating just by the two of them wasn't an option. Or else she might be the one picking the fight.

"I suppose so." Tora sighed and he went up to one of the hotel staff. After a minute or two he returned with a resigned expression on his face.

"Let's go to the dining area." he said, waving them towards a magnificient glass door.

* * *

They sat at an elegant table next to a window showcasing a view of the city. The table linen, the flowers, the silverware, everything was immaculate and screamed expensive. So did the people around them, with their tinkling laughter, their satiny clothes, and the atmosphere laden with perfume and that distinct smell of minty cash. Gon's eyes moved from his best friend, to Raiha and finally to Tora. The three seemed to be relaxed in this kind of environment, like it was nothing new. Well, for them it really wasn't new. He smiled inwardly. All of this seemed high class and probably something a lot of people wanted, but right now he would feel a lot more comfortable sitting on a wooden chair with some simple fare in front of him. He was broken out of his musings by Raiha's voice.

"So Tora. What is it that you wanted to talk about?"

"Well, I heard from your friend here that you were looking for a sword." Tora answered, nudging his head towards Killua.

"Do you have it?" No sense beating around the bush. If he had it, she needed to know. She didn't have any more leads to go on. This entire incident was stressing her out. Not to mention all of the revelations that seemed to have just popped from nowhere. Her family's condition was worrying her as well. This was a time to be frank.

Tora looked at Raiha with his mouth opened slightly. He looked at her, brows knotted, lips in a frown.

"No. Why do you have to sound so accusatory?" He felt hurt at her tone. She had asked him that question as if she had already known that he had it. But not just that, the tone implied that he had done something dishonest to lay his hands on it. It was not only an insult to him, but to his family. Granted their families had not parted under the best circumstances but he still felt that her tone of speaking was unwarranted.

"I was just asking." Raiha replied. Killua glanced at the blue haired girl and saw that she had bitten her lower lip slightly.

"More like telling. Or accusing."

Raiha sighed. Maybe she had come off just a bit too strongly. This was still Tora after all. No matter how rickety their relationship, he wasn't just some random stranger to be talked to in such a way.

"Okay, sorry. It's just with recent events…"

"Yeah, I know." Tora sighed deeply and closed his eyes. "That's one reason why I got worried when I heard from this guy that you were looking for a sword. Honestly, ever since that day we had that contest for those things, dad's been a bit weird."

"He was constantly fidgety, kept talking about those swords, stressing himself out. It got so bad we even got into a fight.", he sighed again and ran his fingers through his blonde hair. His father was like a different person since that day. His world seemed to revolve around those swords, but why he couldn't understand. He cursed the Kanakiris, prayed to the Gods for the swords, paced in his room mumbling incoherent words. His father hated losing. He hated not getting what he wanted. But it never got to this, bordering on obsession. Tora had tried to talk to his father, distract him, even reprimand him, and he had been shunned. He wasn't the most obedient of sons, but he respected his father. But that day, he couldn't even recognize his father from the bloodshot eyed, lank, unkempt man who was yelling at him. "That's why I'm here in York Shin. Needed to get away from the drama. Couldn't breathe from the tension." It was an understatement, but he couldn't bring himself to explain more.

Leaning slightly to his best friend, Killua whispered. "Oy Gon. That's definitely suspicious. His dad's been acting weird; the sword disappears. There's something here. Do you think he knows more than he's letting on?

"I get what you mean. But Tora looks like he's stressed out just as much as Raiha is."

Killua looked at the blonde and he could see what Gon meant. Tora was stressed. But he was trying hard not to show it.

"Why…do you think you're dad's been so bothered?" Raiha asked in a gentler tone.

"I don't know. Wish I knew." Another understatement. He was almost desperate to know. "Uhh, by the way, which one got stolen?"

"Oh. It was the curved one."

"Oh."

An awkward silence ensued. Raiha didn't really know how to address the issue at hand. On one side, after hearing what he had to say, she thought Tora's father's behavior was suspicious, but Tora himself seemed to be confused as well, and it didn't seem like she was going to get more out of him. Why was his father acting that way? Were the swords that important to him? If they were, why? The more she felt she was getting somewhere, the more confused she became. As if she was walking in mist, continuously moving, but the more she moved forward the less she could see, the more enveloped she became in the vague white of her surroundings.

"Sorry I don't really have much to say. I just had a bad feeling in my gut when I heard the news. Especially because of dad. Umm, are you okay?"

"I'm -"

The door crashed opened breaking the mood in the dining room. Guests who had been contentedly eating their meals dropped their cutlery, their heads turning here and there, looking for the source of the commotion. There, standing near the doorway was a huge muscular man. He was clad in black leather, with his bare tattooed arms showing, jutting out from a vest. Behinf him stood around 20 more men, dressed in the same fashion, all sporting rather vehement looks.

"Tora Nichika! Where's that jackass?!"

Tora stood up calmly and cocked an eyebrow at the man. "Sup, bro."

The man glared at him before his lips curled into a menacing smile. "You tryin' to act all cool kid? Heh, here I thought my girl was getting it up with some hotshot, but you're just a puny pretty boy." The men behind him started guffawing loudly.

"You need to be taught a thing or two about messing with other people's women. Do you know who you were messing with?" Said one voice from the back.

"Dio's the strongest in York Shin! He'll bash your head in and squeeze your brain into a pulp!" Cried one more.

Raiha, Gon and Killua looked at one another and stood up. This looked like it could get ugly any moment. Tora wasn't necessarily an ally, but they couldn't let these guys beat him into a pulp before they could finish talking to him.

Tora looked at the three of them and smiled appreciatively. These guys looked like they were all talk, but a little help never hurt.

"Raiha, could I borrow that sword for a bit?"

"What-!"

"You know I can only fight with a sword. I won't unsheathe it, I promise. These guys aren't worth it. But I can use it unsheathed and take them down no problem. I won't run away. You can beat me up in a pulp if I do."

Raiha thought for a bit before finally deciding to give in. He still wasn't above suspicion but to be honest, Raiha really couldn't, and almost didn't want to think he was involved in any of this. Tora wasn't a bad guy, that much she thought she knew about him.

Killua and Gon watched as Raiha handed the sword over to Tora. It was her judgment. They couldn't say anything. Killua for one thought it was a stupid idea. Gon felt that it was fine for Raiha to follow her gut or whatever it was that made her to that. Regardless, if Tora tried to run away they could track him down.

"Looks like this kids think they can take us on!"

"Let's do this!"

"Leave the girl to me!"

"I'll take that tan one!"

The dining room was in absolute chaos as the gang rushed in, colliding with the tables and decorations, the sound of glass breaking filling the room. The four teenagers moved swiftly to meet them, Gon taking three on at once, Killua four, and Tora going straight for the leader and two of his men. Raiha however, seemed to be the favorite target, and she found herself surrounded by the remaining eleven.

These people aren't even that skilled, Raiha thought to herself. But there was strength in numbers, she couldn't deny them that. It was harder to maneuver around them because they had formed a circle around her and were coming at her all at once. She was making good progress and had taken down three of them when one caught her by surprise. With a small blade, he lunged at Raiha. She was fast enough to avoid any major damage, but the blade had ripped through her sleeve and cut her arm. It wasn't very deep, but nonetheless part of her sleeve had already started to turn red with the blood from her cut.

As he gave a blow to the neck to knock out one of the men, Killua saw what happened to Raiha. He felt something inside him stir, an almost animalistic feeling to lunge, and attack. In an instant he found himself standing among a heap of unconscious guys, Raiha looking at him with her mouth slightly open.

He yanked her arm towards him and pulled her sleeve away, revealing a perfectly fine arm. He blinked and looked again and finally ran his fingers lightly over Raiha's skin but collided with nothing but smoothness and a slightly sticky wetness of the blood. He wasn't mistaken, there was blood, on her arm, on her sleeve, but there was no cut.

"Weren't you-"

Raiha pulled her arm away and looked away from him.

"Looks like every one's unconscious."

All of the men were lying on the floor. Gon and Tora had just finished their own mini fights and were treading carefully across the bodies. Tora went up to a waiter, still shaking slightly over what he just saw.

"Tell the manager to put this on my bill."

The waiter could only nod.

"Raiha! Are you okay?" Gon and Tora cried out simultaneously.

Raiha laughed before answering "I'm fine. How about you guys?"

"I'm good."

"Me too. Man, those guys were all talk. Didn't even break a sweat."

"You're one to talk, you couldn't have done anything without my sword."

"Yeah this thing's-"

"Raiha, what the hell, I was still talking to you! What was that? " A very annoyed Killua was at Raiha's side again, his arm holding her arm.

"Killua, I-!"

"Hey, don't just grab her like that!" Tora had raised the sword and pointed it at Killua's chest, making him back off slightly from Raiha.

"Don't point that thing on me, it's not even yours!"

"Well don't talk to her like that!"

"Guys…"

"Stay out of this Gon!"

"Wait what the h-"

Killua and Tora stopped glaring at each other, as the sword in Tora's hand seemed to move on its own, unsheathing itself. The sword floated in mid-air between the two. They slowly backed away from one another. The sword now moved to Raiha, inching closer to her hand beckoning her to hold it. As her fingers closed over its handle, it suddenly jerked forward, dragging Raiha's arm with it, taking the sword's point directly in front of Tora's face. Raiha looked at the blonde in front of her, whose eyes were the widest she had ever seen them.

"Tora, I think the sword is trying to tell us that you've got something more to say."


End file.
